Auntie
by hazelmom
Summary: The team loses one of their own and have to cope.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I wrote a couple of H50 stories five years ago. One of them, _The Promise_ , I was really proud of. Since then, I've been an NCIS girl, but my brain is in a creative desert. I haven't watched H50 since season 2, but recently reviewed like 60 episodes, but I find that I have missed the McDanno. This is 4-6 chapter angst fest. I hope you read and let me know. Sheila

Auntie

Chapter 1

"You are aware that I'm shorter than you, right?"

Steve sighed. It was the start of something, and he'd learned that there was no avoiding the impending rant. "I am aware of this."

"Every time you _allow_ me to drive my own car, I have to re-adjust my seat again because I don't have long, spindly legs." Danny barely glanced at the beautiful ocean view out his passenger side window.

"Spindly?" Steve frowned, his hands gripping the steering wheel.

"Yes. I said spindly," Danny replied.

Steve nodded slowly. Danny was a master at the cargument; sometimes, it was best to just let it play out.

The hands began chopping air. "I hate adjusting the seat. Adjusting the seat is a science. You find your sweet spot once, but somehow that notch- that sweet spot- becomes forever elusive. It can never again be found."

"I'll try to return it to its original position whenever I get out of the car."

Danny screwed up his face. "You know that's impossible. You don't know my sweet spot."

Steve resisted the urge to take advantage of the open door his partner was offering. Instead, he pursed his lips. "Danny, I apologize for that. I realize that must be uncomfortable for you."

Danny narrowed his eyes at McGarrett for a long time. "What's wrong with you?"

"What? I apologized, Danny. What do you want?"

"Exactly! You apologized. Something's wrong. What have you done?"

"I haven't done anything," he said, his eyes glued to the road.

"Okay, what haven't you done…yet?"

"Danny, I—"

Williams put up a hand. "I know you. I know you like I know my own mother. It started yesterday afternoon. You took a call. Closed the door to your office. Kept glancing at me furtively through your window like I was a gun runner."

"Furtively?"

"Yeah. Furtively. Read a damn book."

"I did not glance at you…furtively."

"You did. And then afterwards, you asked me out for a beer and you paid."

"I, I don't know—"

"Don't lie to me, Steven. If you're not going to tell me, then respect me enough not to lie."

Steve let out air and focused on the road for a while.

Danny threw up his hands. "I thought we were friends."

Steve raised his eyebrows. "If friendship were defined as sadomasochism…"

Danny glared at him. "Do me a favor. Go back to not talking." He reached over and turned up a classic 70's rock station. _I'm not in Love_ by 10cc blared.

Steve smiled. "Love this song."

"Shut up," Danny growled. "Focus on the road."

They were silent for about five minutes and then McGarrett bit lip. "I'm going to tell ya'. You're going to get aneurysm face, but I'm going to tell ya'."

"I don't get—" Danny stopped himself. "Just speak. I'm going to listen like a reasonable human being."

Steve snorted.

"What?"

"I'm going to tell ya'."

"Do it already."

Steve muttered under his breath. "Then shut up and listen! I got a call from Rachel."

Danny froze. "Why would she call you? How did you end up in her loop of communication?"

"Loop of communication? You know what, Danny, this is going to take hours if you jump in every three words. I have a meeting with the governor in an hour."

Danny dragged his thumb and forefinger across his mouth.

"Yeah, right," Steve chuckled. "Okay, she needs my help with…Grace."

Danny gave a strangled grunt, and Steve could see the color rise in his face. "Jesus, Danny. Do you own a blood pressure cuff? We gotta start recording these readings."

"Talk!"

"She wants me to have a talk with her about boys," Steve said spitting out the words hard and fast.

Danny shook his head. "Not possible."

"Danny, you told Grace last month that boys are sociopaths. In my presence, you have referred to the boys in her class as pond scum, degenerates, and dirty, vile reptiles."

Danny shrugged. "So?"

Steve sighed. "Rachel says that you have talked to Grace about the virtues of lesbianism."

"So, now you and Rachel are homophobes."

"I have no problem with the LGBT community. If Grace was gay, I would support her wholeheartedly, but I don't think she's leaning in that direction."

"We don't know that yet, do we?"

"Danny, there isn't a father in the world with a more special relationship with their daughter, but she is entering a very delicate time in her life. She is not a little girl anymore. She's interested in boys, and the more you disparage them, the more she'll become secretive. Please understand that."

"Well, thank you, Dr. Phil." Danny folded arms tightly against his chest.

"You know I'm right. You know it."

"She's 13, Steve. She's not allowed to think about boys yet. I do know teen-age girls. I have sisters. They didn't think about boys at 13. I made sure of it."

"Times are different, Danny. She needs someone to have a rational conversation with her about this."

Danny worked his mouth and stared at the front windshield for a long time. "Then we'll do it together."

Steve shook his head. "I wish that were possible, bruddah, but you know you."

Danny grimaced. "You think I don't worry about this? I am a maniac. I know this. I know that adolescent girls are dangerous, emotional creatures. My sisters treated my parents like criminals until they finally went off to college. Last week, Gracie disappeared into the bathroom for an hour, and when I asked what she was doing in there, she wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the night. She accuses me of dumping her phone when I seriously haven't done that for like six months. I don't want us to spend the next six years at war."

Steve nodded. "You can't let your fears rule you and you can't protect her from everything. She'll make mistakes and she'll get hurt, and then she'll learn from it."

Danny's mouth twitched. "I'm not comfortable with that."

"She's smart and good, she has a heart of gold, and she is surrounded by people who love her. She will make good decisions. She's a lot like her father. She has a very strong sense of right and wrong."

He nodded. "She will make good decisions, won't she? Alright, Uncle Steve, what are you going to tell her?"

Steve felt the energy deflate from his partner.

"That she is royalty, and that if she runs into a character that treats her less than that, he is no good. I will also tell her that you and I will hunt down any scumbag that disrespects her."

"I like it."

"And I'm going to tell her that she needs to find a boy that reminds her of you- someone who has an strong sense of doing right, who is fiercely loyal, and who refuses to take shortcuts in life."

Danny looked away. "You don't mean it. You're trying to make up for the fact that you get to have the talk that I should have with her."

"Are you capable of having a rational talk with your daughter about males- one where you don't alienate her?" He said, looking at Danny out of the corner of his eye.

Danny narrowed his eyes and stabbed a finger at Steve. "I used to be one of those little sons of bitches. You're still one. I know exactly what they are thinking. Animals- the whole rotten lot of them."

Steve winced. "Breathe, Danny. Breathe."

…

"Hey Steve," Kono said, looking up from her desk. "How did it go?"

Steve looked around. "He here?"

Chin chuckled. "Earlier. But he couldn't sit still. Said he was going to drive around the island looking for crime."

Steve rolled his eyes. "It wasn't that big a deal. It was just a talk. Then I dropped her at the airport for her class trip."

"So, how did it go?" Kono persisted.

He shrugged. "You tell me what happens in the mind of a 13 year old. She nodded a lot, but other than that, I have no idea what she was thinking. You were a girl. What happens in your heads when you're a teen-ager?"

She smiled. "Ahhh, it's complicated."

He threw up his hands. "What does that mean? Females always say that. Catherine probably said that to me a thousand times. What does that mean?"

Kono shrugged. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you. Girl code."

"Please. If I screwed this up, Danny is going to kill me."

"You didn't screw anything up. She is going to be fine."

"Well, tell him, okay?"

"Hey," Chin said. "Didn't she leave on her first school trip off island?"

"Yup. I just dropped her off at the plane."

Kono winced. "Danny is going to be a bear until she gets back."

"Well, we know it comes from a good place," Steve said as he settled down in front of his laptop. "We can handle it, right?"

Chin nodded. "A walk in the park."

"I'll pick up one of those New York style pizzas he likes for lunch," Kono said. "That'll cheer him up."

"That's the spirit, guys."

….

"Rachel I just think I should know when you're going to have a meathead like Steven talk to our daughter about important issues, you should consult with me…I know I am not rational on this subject, but I am trying and I am her father and this is part of what I should be doing as her father…I know, I know. I just thought dating girls was a viable option…Okay, okay. Listen, the phone is making that sound…you know, the sound that tells me there is a text. Steve has been texting lately. I hate it. I can't even read them unless I stop the car. I gotta stop the car every time he does that. I told him not to write to me on the phone, but it doesn't stop him. He does it anyway, that big mook…It's a word! Yes, it is a word. In Jersey, it's a word. I have said it many times…Okay, I gotta stop now. Bye."

Danny sighed and eased the car over to the side of the road. He looked at the phone and saw a picture of Grace getting on the Island jumper plane. He smiled until he saw that the text was not from Steve. The dots started telling him another message was coming. Then the words, _Is she safe?_

His breath caught and he stabbed at his phone with his forefinger, _Who is this?_

More dots, _What do u know about white slavery?_

Danny bit his lip, _This better be an ugly joke!_

Dots, _No joke. She's young and fine. That age bring top dollar. I can have her on freighter to Asia in one hour. She not on island anymore. Out of your grasp._

Danny breathed in and ran his fingers through his hair. His fingers were shaky and it took him three tries to create a coherent response. _What do u want?_

 _For u to hurt._

He licked lips and texted slowly _. U want me. Not her._

 _Get to Maui in 2 hours or imagine five years of her life as someone's toy._

Danny squeezed his eyes shut and took a breath. His whole body shuddered. His fingers fumbled the phone and it clattered to the floor of his car. He cursed and grabbed it. _I'm there. I can do it. U don't touch her._

Another photo showed up and it was Grace with a group of girls in the Maui airport. Danny felt bile rise up in his throat. His fingers managed to get _I'm coming_ out before he hit Grace's number. Two rings in and it went to voice mail. His eyes watered and he dialed another number. Then he hit speaker and put it on the dash before shifting the car into drive. "Steve! Grace is in trouble!"

The voice on the other end was exactly what he needed. "Slow down, Danny. Take it from the top."

"I don't know who, but there are pictures! They have pictures in Maui! They want me or they take her! I can't have that."

"Someone is rattling your chain, Danny. Anybody can take pictures."

"It's borrowed time again. How many men have I killed or put in jail? What about Reyes' family? He has family."

"Is it Reyes? Did they say it was the cartel?"

It's texting. It's all texting. I have to be in Maui in two hours."

"It's a setup, Danny. They're setting you up."

He shrugged, tears on his cheeks. "Then they can have me. I can't not do this, Steve. I have to get to Maui."

"Danny, I can have the helo ready at Mokulele in ten minutes, but this is a bonehead move."

"She didn't answer her phone."

"Her teacher took all the phones before they got on the plane."

"Okay, okay. What is the teacher's cell?"

"I don't know, Danny. I just dropped her off."

"Steve!"

"I'll call Rachel. She has it. And I'll have a detail on Grace in ten minutes which is why I don't think it is necessary for you to go anywhere."

"I can't breathe, Steve. I won't be able to take a decent breath until I can see and touch her again. He talked about sex slavery. I can't…"

"Yeah, I know. I'm going to have undercover at the Maui airport waiting when you arrive."

"Just get her off the street, Steve."

"You don't have to do this, Danny."

"You know I do. Call me when she's safe."

Danny dropped the phone onto the seat and focused on the road. The road up to the helo pad was narrow and winding along steep cliffs. Danny always hated this drive. In addition to claustrophobia, he had a fear of heights, but he didn't like the idea of sharing all of his fears with Steve so he always kept his eyes looking straight ahead on the turns. He wasn't thinking about any of that now. His focus was solely on stemming the anxiety flooding his gut, and so he didn't notice the truck starting to crowd his bumper. The first hit was a surprise, and he gripped the wheel hard as he struggled to stay on the road.

The first hit might be a coincidence, but the second hit brought everything into focus. The front bumper hit the railing and glanced off. It took all of his strength to stay on the road. Instead of fear, he suddenly felt a sense of relief. Grace wasn't in danger. Someone needed him panicked and racing up a deserted mountain road to the helo pad. Nothing was happening in Maui. The game was right here.

Danny hit the gas, but the truck must have had an enhanced engine because he couldn't lose it. It sped up again, and Danny braced for impact. The truck hit him hard, and the car hit the railing and then climbed it. Danny howled as his body slammed into the windshield.

…

Chin Ho soothed. "Rachel, I promise you that if I knew something I would tell you…probably just a false alarm and you know how Danny is. He always puts her first…Kono is on the phone right now getting Grace secured in Maui…"

"Danny, pick up! I swear to God, Danny, you don't pick up and I'm going to pound you!" Steve slammed the phone down. "Lou, what is his location?"

Grover hunched over the table. "I can't get this Star Trek computer table to do a damn thing for me."

"Where's Jerry?!"

"On his way," Chin mouthed as he went back to calmly Rachel on the phone.

"Kono!" Steve shouted.

She looked up from her phone. "Waiting to hear that Grace is secured. They are at the Aquarium."

"Give that phone to Lou, and get a GPS on Danny!"

"They don't have that little girl yet?" Lou growled. "Give me that phone! This is something I do well."

Kono headed to the table. Lou grabbed the phone and barked. "Get me your captain now!"

Steve stood up and started pacing. "They say Danny never made it to the helo pad. Come on, Kono. He should've been there ten minutes ago. I got a feeling about this. I got a feeling."

"Cops don't have the luxury of operating on island time!" Grover boomed into the phone.

Steve looked at him. "I want good news on Gracie, and I want it now!"

Jerry trotted into the room. "What's happening?"

"Find Danny!" Steve pointed at the table. To his credit, Jerry didn't hesitate. He settled in next to Kono and went to work.

"You got her? What does that mean?" Lou let out a big sigh and looked up. "They have her!"

Steve leaned over and took a breath. Chin relayed the message to Rachel.

"Oh, she want to talk to me?" Grover's eyebrows went up for a moment. Then he put his hand over the receiver. "This one is just like her old man. Our little Grace says that Danno has officially ruined her life and she'll never forgive him."

Steve straightened again. "Tell her I'll call her in a few and apologize for her crazy father."

Kono looked up. "We got his location. Car is stopped about five miles below the helo pad."

"Stopped? Why stopped?" Steve worried his lip. "Chin, call him again."

Jerry sighed. "Phone is dead. No GPS. No nothing."

Steve closed his eyes. "Okay. Let's say Gracie was never a target. Someone just wanted to rattle Danny. There's no better way to do it than to threaten her."

Kono nodded. "They just needed someone to take pictures of her at both airports. That would send him into a tailspin."

"A rattled Danny is a distracted Danny," Chin added.

Then his phone rang and he picked it up. "Hey Duke…" Steve watched Chin's face change after a moment and then he hung up.

"What?"

"Duke says there was an accident on old Mana'olana road."

"That's the road to the helo pad, isn't it?" Kono said softly.

"Duke, ah, thinks we better go up there. He said we should all come."

Steve was staring at the floor. "Okay. Okay."

He couldn't look at any of them as they headed for their vehicles.

…..

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I know where this story is going, and the end of the chapter will tell you how I got the name for this story. Another chapter should happen in a week. Tell me if you like it. Sheila

Auntie 2

Steve rested against the rock face for a moment. The HFD Battalion Chief was right. The winds were too strong for repelling down a cliff in the late afternoon. Still, he'd ignored the Chief and let Grover wrangle with him while he pulled gear out of the back of his car. Chin had gotten red in the face when he saw Steve setting up, but he said nothing because there was nothing to say. Danny's car was in pieces in the surf at the bottom of a steep cliff. It was an hour before sundown, and, overnight, the surf was going to rise and wash away everything into the sea.

Steve had prepared silently. Duke had to get between Grover and the Fire Chief when pointed comments about McGarrett's stupidity were made. Steve ignored all of them. He said nothing to Kono when, after staring over the side for a minute, she went over to the bushes and vomited. He said nothing when someone said that Danny had a zero percent chance of surviving the crash. He just checked each knot and carabineer carefully and headed over the side while Chin grimly guided his descent.

The wind died down and he checked his watch. Only 50 more minutes until dusk. After dusk, it was going to be very difficult to see the cliff face well enough for his ascent.

"Steve!"

He looked up at Chin's worried face and gave him a thumbs up. He knew that Chin was wondering how many 5-0 funerals he was going to have to attend in one week. As if ordered, the wind died down for the rest of the descent, and he landed on a rock large enough for him to perch about 10 feet above the body of the car.

It was hard to actually look at the car. It was so badly mangled. Half of it was underwater. It seemed even silly to call out his name, but the effort was required. "Danny! Danny!"

Steve's gut flooded with the sadness of knowing that anticipating a response under these circumstances was ridiculous. As expected, there was so movement except for the gentle sway of the back end as it danced to the tide's rhythm. There was a rock next to the car that would give him actual contact, and he willed himself to come in contact with the reality of the situation.

He found a place deep inside himself that was still a Navy SEAL who could compartmentalize well enough to see this as a mission, and not the confirmation of his best friend's death. He made the last drop and took off his backpack.

This far down they couldn't hear him and so he started talking to himself. It was something he'd learned to do when he was alone on a mission- a mantra of sorts. Over and over, he kept muttering to himself about the importance of the crime scene, the preservation of evidence, and the need for this job to be done. The word _job_ bounced around inside his cranium, feeling both alien and necessary.

He pulled out his flashlight and shined it through shattered glass. The front seat was submerged, but the top of the windshield was above water. As the light hit the shards of glass, he could see blood painted on the edges. The chanting stopped for a moment because there was a lump in his throat that stole his voice. His breath shuddered as he whispered, "Ah, Danny."

He reached over the backseat looking for the body but there was nothing but seawater. "Please be here. I need to take you home to your…children. Please Danny."

The wreckage moaned under his weight, and he pulled back. With shaky fingers, he brought out his cell and recorded as much video evidence as possible. The ocean was mere hours away from owning what was left of this scene.

"Steve! Can you hear me?"

He squinted up the face of the cliff at Chin Ho.

"You need to start climbing in the next ten minutes."

Steve gave no acknowledgement of his understanding. He just returned his attention to the car.

….

Chin ran fingers through his thick hair.

"He doesn't want to leave Danny," Kono said.

"Well, he's going to have to," he tried to control the tremor in his voice.

"I wouldn't want to leave you."

Chin blinked and then pulled her into a hug. "I know. I know, but he's ohana, and so he has to think of the rest of us as well."

Lou strode over. "Media is here. Danny's name was said over police scanner and they want confirmation."

"No! No!" Chin was as emotional as he ever got. "No! Grace does not learn about this on TV!"

Lou put a hand on his shoulder. "I hear ya'. I probably should've started by saying that they are here but I handled it. Now, how do we get Superman back up this cliff?"

…..

Steve saw a glint of something white on the next rock and he jumped to it. On the edge of the rock hung fabric- a cool, blue and white pinstriped shirt. Danny's shirt. He pulled it up and noted the blood spatter around the collar and chest. He sighed. "What more do I need, Danny? Am I imagining that you are swimming to the next beach? Am I that much of an idiot?"

His eyes stung as he considered the best possible scenarios, but nothing came to mind.

"Steve!"

He concentrated on the scene, trying to imagine Danny alive and thrown from the wreckage, but as he looked around he saw nothing that would provide a welcoming refuge. Even if he landed in the water, he would've been too concussed from going through the windshield to be able to swim. Those were the facts, and facts were facts.

"Steve! Dammit! I'm going to start descending myself in the next 60 seconds if you don't grab that rope and climb! I mean it, Steve! Don't test me!"

Steve lifted his head and looked up. He gave Chin the signal to climb. He looked back at the car one time and heaved out air. "I'm so sorry, Danny. Someone set you up and I'm going to find out who it is and I'm going to bury them. You hear me? I'm going to do that for you. And I remember the time you asked me to watch over Grace. I remember that, and I want you to know that I take that very seriously. I am going to take care of her for you. Okay? I got you, bruddah. Always."

He rubbed his eyes, looked up at Chin, and started to climb just as the sun settled into the horizon.

….

Chin Ho leaned over his cousin, and whispered, "Hey Cuz, why don't you go home and get a few hours? I'll stay here and wait for Steve."

Kono raised her head from the desk. "Not going anywhere."

"Hardly makes sense for all of us to be dragging our feet. We spent half the night up and down that road in the dark trying to figure out what happened. We'll see everything better in the light of day."

She shook her head. "If it was me up there, Danny would be here waiting for the sunrise like the rest of you."

"It's just that you've been through so much with Adam in jail and everything."

She tossed her head. "Really? How you doing, Chin? Come on, Brah, how you doing?"

He stepped back, blinking at the bite in her words. "I'm sad, Cuz. I feel really sad. He didn't survive that fall. Nobody could've survived that fall."

"So, go home and be sad."

He sat down next to her. "I get it, Kono. I stay because being useful and finding out who's responsible gives me purpose- gives me a distraction from the pain. You feel the same way."

"Yeah," she said, "I do. We see this through together."

"I brought egg sandwiches and coffee for everyone," Lou boomed as he came into the room. "Sun is coming up in two hours and it's going to be a long day."

Kono rubbed her face. "I'll take a coffee. I…can't contemplate food right now."

"Gotta keep your energy up, Kono."

She stiffened but Chin put a hand on her shoulder. "We all take care of each other on this team. It's what we do."

"McGarrett not back yet?"

Chin sighed. "He's still with Rachel."

"That's gotta be hard." Lou sat down with a sandwich and coffee. "I know she's an ex, but they have two children together."

Kono nodded and blew on the hot coffee.

"Steve is going to feel this one deep, isn't he?"

Chin and Kono looked at each other.

"I've been around enough to see them act like an old married couple. It was weird at first for me. They're bickering one minute and laughing the next. I never quite understood the psychology of it."

It felt a little awkward as if Lou was finally indulging in questions he'd held onto for a long time. Yet, it also fit in a night filled with the absurdity of ignoring every safety protocol possible and then stumbling around on mountain roads in the dark looking for evidence that no number of LED flashlights was going to uncover. Chin knew that the finality of a body and a burial would be denied all of them by the time the tide has washed away the evidence, and they were going to all be left with a whole lot of unresolved feelings. He looked up from his uneaten sandwich, "Danny is a force as you well know: smart, brave, funny, loyal, stubborn, cantankerous. He came into Steve's life at a time when he was…without anchor. His dad was recently deceased and his mother had been presumed dead for years, and a sister who left chaos wherever she went. So our little haole from New Jersey showed up, and he was unimpressed with our fearless leader. He called him out on a number of issues."

Kono smiled. "Danny could…can argue better than anyone I've ever met."

"Now, Steve could've fired him and sent him back to HPD, but there wasn't a single place where Danny wasn't willing to follow him and back his play. Plus, he cared. That's the thing about Danny. He cares about everyone in his world; he's fierce about it."

"I think the boss needed that- someone who could challenge him. Danny was always poking at him, trying to uncover his vulnerable side. It was good for him."

"My auntie Min Min met Danny once, and she told me that he has a natural gift for creating ohana which is funny because he acts like he doesn't even like the islands, but I remember how quickly I became fond of him despite his quirks."

"More than fond," Kono sighed and Chin nodded.

Lou nodded. "I remember when my daughter was taken. He was very committed, and there was a moment when he had to pull me out of a pretty serious spiral. I knew that this was kind of guy who would always be a friend."

"He has an obscene sense of fairness that turns him into a one man justice system," Chin said shaking his head. "Remember the time we were at the Hilton, Kono?"

She made a face. "Are you kidding? Lou, we were having drinks after a big bust, and there was this crude haole from the mainland who was drunk and he was making comments about the island being full of brown people and Danny was getting heated. Chin and Steve were trying to calm him down, telling him to let it go, and then the idiot drunk tried to cop a feel with the waitress who was Hawaiian, and it was on."

Chin chortled. "Danny sprang out of his seat and gets this 6' 4" fat guy down on the floor in a headlock in a dining room full of people, and he just kept saying over and over, 'Do not disrepect my island or my people.'"

Kono chuckled as she picked up her coffee. "The whole dining room stood and applauded. Classic Danny Williams."

"But don't tell him you heard that story. He'll deny it ever happened. The Hilton manager offered him free drinks for a year, but Danny being Danny felt that wasn't necessary and now, he feels 'weird' about going there."

Kono's chin started to tremble and she bit her lip. "Come on, guys. Tell me there's something we're not considering. Tell me that what happened didn't really happen."

Lou sighed. "I wish I could. I can't reason it to be anything other than it is. We all have the pics from Steve's cell. Danny hit that windshield hard. What else could it be? Someone ran him through that rail. It was planned, calculated. Jerry pulled the texts from our shared network. Someone knew how to push his buttons and they wanted to hurt him. There is no surviving that fall. Someone wanted revenge and they got it."

Kono brushed at the tears on her cheeks. "That's not what I want to hear."

"Me neither," came a bark from the door. Steve was standing there, hands on his hips. "Are you holding a wake in here? Tell me 'cause I need to know if I have a team focused on finding Danny or a team ready to plan his funeral?"

Chin sighed. "How's Rachel?"

"She's like you guys. She thinks he's dead."

"Yeah, facts are a funny thing," Lou growled.

"What did you say?" Steve challenged. As he came closer, they could see how red his eyes were.

Chin got between the two of them and focused on Steve. "We're tired and we're worried. It was not a good scene up there, but no one is giving up."

Steve squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm sorry. It's late and talking to Rachel was rough- rougher than I thought it would be."

Chin put a hand on his shoulder. "Sit down. Lou has coffee and sandwiches."

Steve looked resistant but the hand on his shoulder wasn't going anywhere, and so he sat. Lou unwrapped a sandwich for him and pushed a coffee in his direction.

Kono wiped at her eyes. "What about Grace? That's who I'm worried about."

Steve blew out air. "Me too. The teacher has been notified. She has all the phones. They are only allowed to watch movies- no regular TV. They decided it was best if she came back with her classmates late this afternoon. There isn't any definite plan to tell her until we know more."

"So, let's plan out the morning." It was bold for Chin to step in knowing how McGarrett liked to be in control, but he got no push back. If anything, Steve seemed grateful for the respite. "I figure you're going down that cliff one more time, right?"

Steve nodded. "If there is anything left down there, I want it."

Chin nodded. "Kono, you and Lou need to comb that mountain road for clues."

"The scene itself is a nightmare. Any evidence has to be trampled by all the emergency vehicles and personnel."

"I've been thinking about that," Kono said. "Steve's photos suggest more than one slam to his back bumper. There's probably more than one hit along those rails. Maybe, both vehicles left evidence."

"Yeah, that's good." Steve took a bite of the sandwich, but chewed as it were a chore.

"We also need to get eyes and ears out on the streets. Who wanted Danny dead?"

Nothing said anything for a moment. At any given time, there were a number of individuals that wanted 5-0 in graves. The trick was going to be narrowing it down to those foolish enough to actually follow through.

Lou stood. "I got some CIs who might respond best with an early morning visit."

"Yeah," Kono said, wiping the last of her tears on a napkin. "I'll go talk to Jerry and Kamekona. Those guys can work the streets for us."

She stopped and put a hand over Steve's. "Nobody's giving up, Boss."

He nodded, unable to lift his face. "I know."

Steve waited until he and Chin were alone. "What do you think, Brah? Am I being a fool?"

"No. I think you're a SEAL, and a man doesn't become a SEAL unless he's willing to fight to the end."

Steve studied his face. "But…"

"Your mom came back from the dead after twenty years. If Danny's dead and we don't find a body, I don't know what it's going to take to get you to accept that he's gone."

"Okay," he nodded. "I needed to hear that. You're going to have to let me know when it's time."

"You're going to fight me."

"I know that and I know you won't give up on me, Chin. Do it for Rachel and Grace and Charlie. If the hope isn't real anymore, you have to help me know that."

….

Steve had to wait until 10 a.m. until the tide receded enough for him to catch a glint of metal. Chin was with him again, guiding him down the rock face. The wind was brisk and it took a good 30 minutes to get him back on the rock closest to where the car had been. The only thing left was the back bumper snagged in some rocks. It was a blessing to find it- it, more than any other part of the car, would tell them something about what happened. He dragged it onto the rock again and sat cross-legged, looking out on the ocean. He was as alone as he was going to be until this was over, and he appreciated the solitude the rock offered him. It was a struggle for him to be public with his emotions. Danny had worked hard to break through those barriers and there were times where he'd succeeded. In fact, Danny Williams had gotten in deeper with McGarrett than anyone ever had- even Catherine. Danny was as relentless as a badger when he spotted a wall.

In the last year, Steve had started giving in without much resistance. To his surprise, the vulnerability that Danny demanded seemed to bring him relief rather than humiliation. Danny had said that one of these days they were uncover the real Steve McGarrett, and when that happened, life was going to get a lot easier for both of them. He often wondered what Danny meant with that statement. Was Danny aware that some of the insights he pushed him for were revelations as much for him as for Danny? It surprised him that feelings could live in him that he never even knew existed and that this scrappy little haole had shown up on his radar and insisted on uncovering them.

His earpiece crackled and he touched it. "Yeah? You guys found anything?"

"No, but maybe it's time for you to come up and we'll check in."

Steve hesitated. "It's my last chance to be down here. I…want to make sure that I've looked at everything."

There was a pause, and Steve knew Chin had been watching him do nothing but stare at blue ocean for the last 20 minutes. "It's a heavy wind today, and it's going to get heavier. And I know you are going to strap that damn bumper to your back. It's going to be hard climb. 15 more minutes?"

"Okay." In other words, he had a few more minutes before he had to return to the cacophony of Danny's absence.

He stared at the wide expanse of water. "Talking is good, right? That's what you've always told me. So, here goes. I'm scared, Danny. I'm really scared. I can't pretend that you're going to come swimming out of a cove anymore. It's not going to happen. And if, by some miracle you didn't go over this cliff, I know you were injured badly, and I can't think of a single reason why someone trying to kill you would keep you alive. If there is another way to put this together, I can't find it."

His throat got thick, and when he breathed out, a sob surprised him. "I don't know what to say to her, Danny. What can I possibly say that's not going to hurt her forever? I was just two years older than she is when I thought my mom was killed. You don't know what that's like for a kid. It was like the deepest, darkest, loneliest hole, and it changes a person. I want more than anything to protect her from that, but I can't, Danny. I can't."

He rubbed at his face roughly. "The last six years I have had you for these moments- the ones where I felt truly lost and needed someone to listen. Six years?" He shook his head. "Why does it feel like I've known you forever?"

The wind whipped at his face. "I gotta go back up there, and be the guy that gets it done. I've always known how to be that guy, and I do that by putting the sad parts of my life in places in my head where they stay hidden until I'm ready. I learned how to do that after I lost mom. But I know you. Dead or alive, you are going to be hollering to get out that place. You're going to be kicking and complaining until you take over my entire head, and I'm scared for what that means."

He stood and dragged what was left of the bumper up, and then he carefully strapped the last piece of Danny's car to his back.

….

Chin stared at him hunched up against an emergency vehicle as he watched crime scene investigators wrap up the bumper. He figured Steve's back must be hurting pretty bad from the angle he was leaning. He wanted to go up and say something helpful, but he didn't figure McGarrett could hear him. He felt a hand on his arm and he turned to find Kono there. "Anything?"

She nodded. "Danny first hit the rail about 300 yards back. I got guys working on it. He really pull that metal thing all the way up that cliff?"

Chin nodded. "Took him almost an hour to climb. Wind kept catching it. I begged him to drop it about a dozen times."

"It's probably our best chance at evidence."

"Yeah." Chin's face was like stone.

Her hand tightened around his arm. "You've decided to be the strong one. I can see it in your eyes. I get it, but it takes a toll. You cared about Danny as much as the rest of us."

Chin sighed. "We're going to have to take turns, Cuz. Our fearless leader can't think straight right now."

They heard a car horn, and turned to see a taxi pull up. Kono's breath caught. "Is that Grace? I thought they weren't flying back in until later.

Danny's daughter jumped out of the backseat, hair flying across her face, and the cabbie got out the other side of the car and grabbed her roughly by the arm. "You still owe me $50, little girl!"

Chin rushed him hard, grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him against the hood of the car. "You don't ever touch a child like that!"

Grace squirreled away from both of them and screamed, "Uncle Steve! Uncle Steve!"

Her face was wet and puffy, and Kono pulled her into a hug, but she pushed away. "Where's my Uncle Steve? He'll fix this! He always watches out for my Danno! Uncle Steve!"

"Gracie!" Steve lurched off the car.

She spotted him and ran into his arms, hiccupping her words. "Fix it, Uncle Steve. Find my Danno! Please! It's my fault. I was so mean! I said mean things about my Danno!"

"No sweetie," he said, stroking her hair. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Bring him home to me. Promise me, Uncle Steve," she sobbed into his chest. He just held her tight and rocked her.

"Promise me. Please promise me," she sobbed. "Say something. Why won't you promise me?"

He kept opening his mouth, but words were a struggle. Finally, he croaked, "I'm sorry, Gracie. I am so very, very sorry."

…..

Her kitchen had the same chipped, aquamarine paint it carried when Sang was a boy. There were no cupboards, just concrete shelves where she kept jars of spices and pastes. The stove was a single propane burner, and, as usual, it was burning under a pot of fish stew. She made it in the old style, and while he wasn't quite sure what that meant, it tasted better than anything he could find anywhere on all the islands.

Except for the hours she spent every day studying her favorite soap opera, she was in constant motion- a tiny woman always wearing a muumuu and moving about in slippers. She took her wooden spoon out of the stew and waved it in his direction. "You a snakehead still. Always a snakehead."

He slouched at the tiny table in the corner of the room and shook his head. "Not true, Auntie Joon. I don't do that anymore. I'm a better man."

"Not true!" She stabbed the spoon at him. "You bring me great trouble."

"You got skills, Auntie. If anyone can help him, you can."

"No," she shook her head. "He need haole medicine. My herbs don't work on haoles."

"She said I could see the boy if I was a better man. My plan is foolproof. Your nephew is a real live genius. You'll see. I collect the bounty later today, and then I'll have leverage to give up the person who ordered the hit for that maniac, McGarrett."

"You screw up, Sang. You broke him bad. You big plan is no good."

He sighed. She was right. His cousins were experts in insurance scams, but not experts in fake assassinations. They'd slammed the Camaro too hard into the rails. "Stop fussing at me. You're messing up my mojo."

She took one of the three bowls that existed on her shelf, and ladled rice and stew into it. Then she shuffled over to Sang and put it in front of him. "I use shark. It real good today."

He dug into it, breathing in the rich, spicy broth. "Just like I like it, Auntie."

She ignored him and went over to the door of her bedroom, pulling back a curtain. The haole was badly injured, and she could barely make out the features on his bruised and swollen face. She set up an IV for him. Any South Chinese woman worth her salt could run an IV quicker than most haole nurses, but it wasn't enough. She'd been grinding a paste of her best medicines, and as soon as Sang's cousin came back with the belladonna, she could rub it into his scalp. "You think he like to watch Manjalara with me?"

Sang looked up from his food. "You can ask him when he wakes up."

"Bujang and Tembam hold hands today."

"You said they were going to hold hands last week."

She shook her head. "No possible. Drug lord has Bujang in secret castle. Want to feed him to crocodile. Tembam brother need to save Bujang and then they hold hands."

"Auntie, it's a Malaysian soap opera. You don't even speak the language."

She shrugged and went to an ancient refrigerator where she pulled out a container of coconut water and poured a glass for Sang Min. "I no need words. Bujang has mountain of love for Tembam. Everybody see that. That why drug lord try to feed him to crocodile. Drug lord want Tembam for himself."

She went back to the bedroom and looked over the unconscious man in her bed. "I think this haole die before you do good thing, and that just make you snakehead again."

…

TBC….


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey haole boy, how you do today?" Auntie Joon looked over Danny's scalp carefully. "Swelling still bad on one side, but better on other. I make more treatment for you."

The room was small with faded wallpaper peeling off concrete walls. A large flat screen TV looked ridiculous hanging on one of the walls.

She pulled back blankets and surveyed his chest. "Broken rib here and here. This one soft and dark- it tell me you bleed inside. No good. You need haole hospital. Sang dumb to leave you here. Maybe, we get lucky, haole boy. Body heal itself sometime. We pray to Buddha for it. First, we watch Manjalara."

She checked IV bag and shuffled into the kitchen. When she returned, she had a syringe and she shot it into the IV. "Sang got antibiotics. This help you, haole boy."

She disappeared again and returned with a cup of tea. She settled into a chair next to the bed and picked up the remote. "Sang bought me special TV. I can stop picture. I can forward or backward. It good TV. We can watch Manjalara real careful. Today, Tembam and Bujang hold hand. We stop it many times to see this. Crocodile want to eat Bujang, but Tembam brother come to save him. You watch. It good show. I tell you everything."

She put her feet up on a stool, put her tea on the side table, and rested the other hand on the bed, patting his arm. "It okay, haole boy. Auntie Joon watch over you real good. I promise it to you."

…..

"Something weird is happening out there on the streets. I can feel it." Grover said. "I was out there trying to get information, but I can't get anyone to talk."

Kono picked up her head from the desk. "Duke says the emergency rooms are reporting drug overdoses up 30%."

Chin nodded. "There's gotta be new product on the street. It reminds me of when bath salts started showing up."

"A new distributor?"

"Maybe," Chin said. "What does this have to do with what happened to Danny?"

"It just feels strange out there," Kono said softly. "I couldn't get anyone to talk either. It was like people were afraid."

Lou sat down. "Maybe, we are the ones feeling strange. Maybe, we can't see things so clearly right now."

"We need to be sharp," Chin said.

"We need rest," Lou responded.

"I keep seeing the look on Grace's face."

Lou shook his head. "Yeah, I know. That sweet little girl begging Steve to bring her daddy back is something I'm never going to forget."

Chin closed his eyes. "Please people, we gotta stay focused."

"Cuz, you were there."

Chin slammed his palm down on the table. "I was there! And it breaks my heart. I love Grace and Danny is…was ohana, but we can't honor him if we do nothing to catch his killer."

"I have to agree wholeheartedly with you, Lieutenant Kelly."

Kono swung around and saw Max in the doorway carrying a black satchel. "Max, it's almost midnight."

Lou looked at him wearily. "We don't have a body for you, Max."

He nodded. "I went to the scene this afternoon. Remains are unlikely given the location of the drop. I would imagine that what's left of Detective Williams has washed out to sea."

"Max, please."

He put down his satchel. "I don't mean to be insensitive, but Lieutenant Kelly reminds us of the importance of focus right now. I think Detective Williams would want that from us. I think it is what he would do if this had happened to any of you."

Kono nodded. "You're right. It's just that we are all so tired. It's been a very hard couple of days."

"Of course. I understand. Lieutenant, I brought what you asked. Is Commander McGarrett here?"

"Sorry, Max. He had to take Grace home. She showed up at the scene. It was…pretty bad."

Max sat down in the nearest chair. "I'll wait."

Kono laid her head on her desk again and closed her eyes.

….

"Are you a doctor, Chin? When did that happen? When did you become an MD?"

"Come on, Steve. How long have I coached football? I know a dislocated shoulder when I see one. You need this fixed. That's why Max is here."

Kono's head popped up and she blinked wildly. The room seemed full. In addition to Chin, Max, and Steve, Lou was sitting in a chair watching the proceedings with interest, and Jerry seemed to have appeared out of nowhere in the corner hunched over a computer. There was movement from her left and she saw Joe White come in with a large tray of coffees. It was as if someone had called a meeting in the middle of the night. She squinted at the clock and it read 3:30 a.m.

"I don't need your help or your mothering. I don't need you taking over for me. You had all day to try and get a lead on this thing and you got nothing. So how about you and the gang go home and get a few hours of shut eye while I pull together some focus on this thing?"

Chin stayed calm. "I told you we were going to fight."

"We are not fighting! I come here for a little space and I find a 5-0 sleepover in progress. You think that's any way to run this? You got nothing! Go home and let me think!" Steve leaned awkwardly against a desk.

Chin didn't attempt to match his energy. He simply met his glare and said, "No. We take care of the shoulder first and then we talk."

"Lieutenant Kelly is right," Max waded in carefully. "It is clear to me that you have injured your right shoulder significantly and I believe his diagnosis is correct."

Joe sipped on a coffee and said, "Chin might not be a doctor, but Max is and you're not getting anything done until he pulls that shoulder right. I mean it. We got the manpower to make this happen if you keep fussing, so I would suggest that you and Max repair to your office and get this thing done."

There was something in Joe White's tone that was reminiscent of a parent, but instead of offending Steve, it calmed him. He stared at the floor for a long time and then looked up. "Alright, Max. Let's do it."

Max picked up his satchel and followed him into his office. Max pulled the shades, and the rest of them sat outside and sucked down coffee until there was a shout, cursing, and then a grunt. Max came out first, saying nothing, and then Steve came out a few minutes later looking pale. He was wearing a sling and he grabbed a coffee with his good arm. Without looking at anyone, he said, "I need a minute" and walked out the door.

Joe nodded to the room. "I got this."

…..

Joe trotted until he caught up with Steve. "Talk or don't talk. I'm here."

"I need space." Steve kept moving.

"She wouldn't let you leave, would she? You probably had to stay until she fell asleep in your arms. She thinks that as long as you're nearby, she hasn't really lost her father."

Steve's breath caught and he stopped, bending over. "Do your ears not work, Joe? Do you want me to beat you senseless?"

"Try it. With that bad shoulder, I'll have you on the ground in two moves."

Steve glared at him but Joe White was like stone. Finally, Steve shuddered and whispered, "It was the same sound Mary made when we thought our mom had been killed- like a helpless, wounded animal…And I wanted to tell her that I would bring him back, but the words…I couldn't make them come. I couldn't see how I would be able to do that to her. We don't have anything that tells me I can give her that kind of hope."

Joe took the coffee out of Steve's shaking hand. "That's good, Steve. Saying these things out loud is good."

Steve took a deep breath. "I fell in love with Grace the first time I met her. I looked into those brown eyes, and I was gone. I never told Danny this, but since that moment, I felt like I knew what it means to be a parent. If I could trade places with Danny now, I would do it- in a minute- so she could have him back. In a minute, Joe."

"I know," he nodded. "I know you would, but life rarely allows us those kinds of choices."

"I can't help her," Steve said shaking his head. "I want to help her, but I can't make this better."

"You just keep loving her for him, Steve. He needs you to do that. You can remind her of who her dad was, and you can do for her what he can't. You know he wants that from you. You know that."

Steve rubbed at his face. "It's too hard."

"Naw, Steve," Joe shook his head. "It's an act of love- not just love for her, but for him. You loved him, Steve. You and Danny had a relationship that most brothers would envy."

Steve chuckled. "God, he busted my balls every day, Joe, and yet I looked forward to seeing that fierce little son of a bitch every morning. It was crazy. I don't know how to explain it."

"Sure you do," Joe chuckled. "He got under your skin like one of those women you just can't quit. I'm not casting aspersions here; I'm just saying it defies explanation. The two of you needed each other. You each made the other one a better man."

"Yeah, it's true."

"Steve, you have to let Chin do what he's doing. You can't be all things at all times."

He nodded. "I know."

A large presence approached them in the dark, and they both reached for guns. Kamekona came into view. Steve relaxed. "What do you got, big man?"

"Big news. I think I know what happened to our Danny. Let's go inside." He was moving fast and they had to trot to keep up.

"Listen up, 5-0!" He said as he entered. "I got news."

It electrified a room that hadn't had a single lead in 24 hours. Kamekona spotted the coffee and headed for it. "What's going on? No malasadas?"

"Kamekona," Chin said with an edge to his voice. "If you got news, we need to hear it."

"Flippa and I went under deep and hard."

"Where is he?" Jerry asked.

"Getting his knuckles soaked. We had to bash a few heads. Our names might show up on a few assault complaints this week just so you know. I trust you got a bruddah's back."

Steve nodded impatiently. "We do. Now, tell us what you know."

"I had to go deep. Talk to some Samoans that are under the radar. About a month ago, there was a contract put on Danny or his little princess for $500,000."

Steve reddened. "Who?"

Kamekona shrugged. "It showed up on something called the dark net. Apparently, there's a corner of the business world I haven't yet exploited."

Jerry nodded. "Deep web, invisible web, or hidden web- these are all terms that cover non-indexed content. It's a virtual cesspool of black markets selling illegal items and subcultures seeking anonymity. I spend a lot of time monitoring it."

"You didn't pick this up?" Lou said.

Jerry rolled his eyes. "The deep web is hundreds of times larger than the surface content everyone has access to. It's not like I can google 5-0 assassination plots and get a hit. No pun intended. Undoubtedly, there was a log-in and only certain dirt bags were given access to the contract."

"Grace is in danger?" Steve tensed. "Chin, get Duke on the phone. I want an army parked outside Rachel's house."

"On it."

"Who did this, Kamekona?"

The big man shrugged. "I don't know. Our informant says the ad didn't say who wanted it done."

"Kamekona, your informant could be our killer," Kona said.

"I don't think so, but I know you 5-0 guys want to confirm things for yourselves so I brought him along. He's napping in the back of my van."

Lou cocked his head. "What's your definition of napping?"

"We tapped him a bit, but he should be fine."

Steve winced. "Joe and Lou, go get this guy out of the van. Max, go with them. We need him in good enough condition to actually talk."

Kamekona waved a piece of yellow paper from a legal pad. "Before we danced, we had him write down his log in, password, and where he saw the contract."

Jerry grabbed it. "I got this."

"Kona, you help him," Steve said. Everyone was in motion again, and it started to feel like it was supposed to again. Still, he felt like he had little energy to do more than just lean against a desk and watch them scramble.

….

"Where..what…oooh, I can't move…where?"

Hands were pushing him back onto the bed firmly, and he found himself looking up into the face of a tiny Asian woman. "Shhhh! Haole boy, no struggle. Rest haole boy. Rest."

Danny screwed up his face. "Who are you?"

"Auntie Joon. I Auntie Joon. I here for you. I here to help."

Danny groaned. "Where am I?"

"You thirsty." The face disappeared. "I make you tea from stinky lizard plant."

"Nooo. No. I don't like tea. Phone. Bring me a phone." He tried to sit up but the hands were there again.

"You stay down or I tie you to bed."

"Yeah, no. Thanks for the offer, but I got a girlfriend."

"Show respect for elder, haole boy. Tea almost ready."

"I don't like tea. Bring me a phone."

"You can't drink phone. Stay still, haole boy."

"What are you calling me? I'm Detective Danny Williams. You can call me Danny. I need you to tell me where I am. I need to call my partner."

She came back flicking a syringe. He winced, "What are you doing?"

"Just sleeping medicine. You move too much."

"Noo. Nooo. Please. Let me call Steve."

"You sleep more," she said injecting Morphine into his IV drip. "I feed you stinky lizard tea while you sleep."

"I do not want stinky lizard tea."

"It okay," she said patting his face. "You will like it. It help you."

"I do not think…I will like it. I am positive…I will…not," he said thickly as the morphine took his consciousness.

….

Steve squinted into the noon sun. There was a buzzing in his head that threatened his concentration, and he had to remind himself he was sitting on a bench in front of the palace.

"I'm satisfied."

Steve blinked and turned to see Chin sitting next to him. "Was I sleeping?"

Chin peeled open a Goji berry bar, and handed him a chunk.

"Are you my mother?" Steve said as he took the energy bar.

"No, but I am happy to call Doris if it comes to that."

Steve shivered. "No, thanks. You don't think he's our guy then."

"No, I think he's a Samoan gang member who was invited to bid on the contract but was smart enough to stand down."

"So, we let him go?"

"Oh no. He's got three active warrants. Duke is a happy man right now."

"I can't think, Chin."

"72 hours without sleep will do that."

"Where is everyone?"

"Lou is taking six hours at home. Joe is working his contacts. Kono is taking four on the couch, and Jerry is working the dark net. When Kono wakes up, I go down for four."

"I've been hard on you."

"We both knew this would happen. We're hurting. We're tired, and we're not getting any decent answers." Chin handed him more energy bar.

"I should check on Gracie."

Chin shook his head. "Sleep. You know she's not doing well, and you are no good to her as a zombie."

Steve looked at him. "Why Danny?"

"We don't know."

"The Reyes cartel?"

"If it is, Joe will know. He's checking it out, but, personally, I don't think so. I don't see them contracting out the job. They have plenty assassins on the books."

"That's what I think too."

"Lay down for four. When you get up, we'll strategize."

Steve nodded. "Thanks for hanging in there, Chin."

"You're ohana, Steve. I don't got no choice, brah," he said slapping him on the back.

….

He smacked his mouth and groaned. "What did I eat? It tastes like a mouse died in one of my molars."

He heard a familiar laugh. "You were always the funny one."

Danny focused blurry vision on the man sitting next to his bed. "Sang Min?"

"Yup."

Danny made a face. "There was a little woman who wanted to give me…reptile tea…something weird."

"Auntie Joon. She's a big believer in stinky lizard plant tea. It's some plant that the lizards like. Old family recipe. She used to force feed it to me when I got sick as a kid."

"Alright, what gives? Why am I a guest at Min Manor and what the hell happened to me?"

Sang blew out air and looked at the ceiling. "It was a good plan, bruddah. A win-win for everyone."

Danny pulled and discovered a handcuff connecting his wrist to a metal ring in the wall. "Come on. I thought we were cool, man."

"Just a precaution. You got a temper, and you might not like all of my good intentions."

Danny glared. "I guarantee it. Talk."

"It was the perfect plan. I got an invite. Dark net. Contract assassination for you or your little girl. $500,000."

Danny pulled at his cuffs. "Grace! What the hell?"

"Hey man, it's okay! I don't do kids. You know that. You know that I care about family. It's okay. You're dead. That means she's safe."

Danny narrowed his eyes. "I'm dead?"

Sang Min sighed and threw up his hands. "That was my perfect plan. I pretend to kill you. Collect bounty. Give you back to McGarrett and give up the contractor. Everybody happy."

"Are you kidding? You could've come to us and tell us about the contract!"

"Yeah, but then I don't get a bounty. Auntie Joon has $50,000 left on her mortgage."

Danny looked around the room. "For this shack?!"

"Hey! You know how crazy Oahu real estate is!"

"Tell me they don't think I'm dead." Danny had a dangerous tone to his voice.

He shrugged. "No choice. Plan doesn't work without it."

Danny closed his eyes. "Just tell me that Steve is on his way over to get me out of this nightmare."

Sang winced. "Can't. Plan went south."

"I don't want to hear that!" Danny's face reddened. "Get me a damn phone. I'll put a plan in place that's guaranteed to work."

That little wizened face popped into the room and Danny startled. She wagged a finger at Sang Min. "Don't upset haole boy! Still damage! No hurt him! I get out spoon. You not too big for spoon!"

Danny snorted. "Do it. Get the spoon. I want to see this. He's damaging me very much, Auntie Joon. Then grab me a phone."

She turned on him. "You need more tea!"

"No!" He yelled into her face. "I will have you brought up on assault charges if you bring that reptile juice anywhere near me again."

She frowned at him. "You no in charge, haole boy! I in charge! You drink medicine. I make you better! You no listen, no problem! I give you more sleep medicine!"

Sang smiled. "You tell her, Danny. Let's see who wins."

Danny relaxed back into his pillow. "Alright. Alright. Truce. Auntie Joon, thank you for all your care. You can put away the lizard tea. I am much improved."

"You a liar!" She said before turning and exiting the room.

"Come on, Sang. Get me out of this. No charges. I promise."

"I wish," he sighed. "It was bad enough when my crew banged you up on that railing, but then I go to get the bounty, and I got money but nothing else. I still don't know who ordered the hit."

"It doesn't matter. I'll make it good with Steve."

"You kidding? He'll string me up by the short hairs. All I've done so far is attempted to murder you and then kidnapping. Unless, I got the contractor, I'm screwed."

"I need a hospital, man. A real hospital. I got a bad feeling about these ribs and my head feels like a bad high school marching band."

"I know. She says the same. But if we bring you back to life, what happens? We don't know who the contractor is. McGarrett will jail my ass, but it won't matter 'cause I'll get capped in the joint for reneging on the deal. And what about your kid? You think the contractor won't focus on her once they find out you survived?"

Danny shook his head. "I don't know. This is too much."

"Give me another day. My crew is into this. There's got to be some talk on the street. I need a name or McGarrett will bury me in his backyard."

"Sang, let me talk to him."

"No way. He's got control issues. You know that. One minute on the phone and we'll have black and whites everywhere. If you don't care if I'm killed, think of Auntie Joon. She's going to be collateral damage. It sends a message."

Danny sighed. "One day. That's all. After that, I go to a hospital. Don't you even think about killing me, you little monster. I will gut you like a fish. Just try me."

Auntie Joon showed up in the doorway with her spoon. "He right, Sang. You no fix tomorrow, I give phone to haole boy."

Danny looked up at her. "Auntie Joon, I'll give you a thousand dollars if you throw out that tea and get me some water. Maybe order me a pizza or make me a burger or something."

She narrowed her eyes. "You too damage, haole boy. No pizza. You get fish stew and you drink medicine."

She disappeared and Danny turned to Sang. "Please, man. You gotta help me."

Sang shook his head. "She's got the spoon, bruddah. I don't mess with her when she got the spoon."

….

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I hope you are still reading. Life got sad for me. Lost my beautiful German Shepherd, Hazel, but my other shepherd, Geneva, and I are hanging in there. Jazzie noticed that Auntie Joon is like Danny. That's exactly the point. I wanted a character who is even feistier than our Jersey boy. Thanks, Sheila

Auntie

Chapter 4

"Hey babe, how's that shoulder? You're going to do physical therapy this time? Not skipping it again. You're not Superman, you know. I read a thing on arthritis."

"Danny," Steve blinked his eyes open.

There he was, blonde hair slicked back, dress shirt rolled up to the elbows, and hands stuffed deep in his pants pockets.

Steve sat up. "Thank God! It was all a bad dream."

"You're probably still going to want to drive with that banged up shoulder because you're an animal. A control freak Neanderthal animal, you are."

Steve smiled. "Only you could act like you care and insult me all in the space of ten seconds."

"I'm a complicated guy, Steven."

"Man, losing you really messed me up. So glad you're back," he said shaking his head.

"Come on, Steve. Are you really awake?"

Fear gripped him again and he focused on his friend. "Don't do this, Danny. I need you to be here. I need you to be okay. Not just for your kids or the team. I need it for me too. Please Danny, I need this."

"Sorry, babe. Nobody lives forever."

The pain flooded Steve's gut again and he looked away.

"Come on, Steve." He felt a hand on his arm.

"Just go away. Go away, Danny."

"It's Chin. I need you to wake up. Something happened."

Steve shot upright in his office chair and looked around his office wildly. "What's happening? Do we know something?"

Chin put a finger to his lips and pointed. Grace Williams was curled up on his leather couch across the room. Steve looked at her in confusion and Chin motioned him out of the room.

Steve rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as Chin softly closed the office door. "How did she get here? If she slipped her detail, heads are going to roll."

"It's almost as bad. A couple of hours ago, Rachel noticed the desk drawer in Stan's office had been jimmied. Stan kept a luger pistol in there of all things and it was missing. Duke had the house turned upside down, and they found it under the pillow on Grace's bed."

"That makes no sense. What the hell?"

Chin sighed. "Duke talked to Grace and found out that she overheard a couple of guys in the detail talking about the situation. They talked about her being included in the original assassination contract. It scared her, and she broke into Stan's desk and took the gun in order to protect herself. She said her Danno would want her to be brave like that. Rachel heard all of that and hit the roof. She tried to leave with both of the kids. Said she could protect them without HPD."

Steve shook his head. "And you didn't wake me up?"

"You needed the sleep. Besides, someone was going to end up with a broken nose if you went over there. Lou went over and took Rachel and Charlie over to his house and brought her here. Rachel says she keeps asking for you. SWAT is going to take a turn at watching them for a bit. Duke went postal on his guys over this. He feels horrible."

Steve looked through his office window. "Poor Gracie."

Max put a little sedative in a soda for her so she would rest. She needs to know that we'll take care of her. And no one can explain that to her like you can."

"Are we getting anywhere? Do we have anything solid?"

"Joe is checking in soon and Kono is out there talking to her contacts. Something is going to come in soon. I don't see how it can't. This is big. People have to be out there talking about this."

"I should be out there."

Chin shook his head. "Come on, Steve. This is not your strong suit. People lock doors when they see you coming. You need to stay here and disseminate information as it comes in."

Steve winced. "I'm not that bad."

"Yeah, you're that bad."

Steve's eyes drifted back to the child sleeping in his office. "What do I say to her when she wakes up?"

"I don't know." Chin shook his head. "But she will never lack for family. She has to know that. All of us will be there for her. Ohana is real and it never dies."

"It's not going to be enough."

"Yeah, I know," Chin said as he grabbed his gun and headed for the door.

…

"Tembam and Bujang hold hand today," she said as she checked his head for swelling.

"No," he groaned. "Not going to happen. You ran me through four old episodes yesterday, and there's no way Tembam's brother is going to rescue Bujang from the crocodile for at least another week."

"You wrong, haole boy! Today the day." She pulled back the blanket and peered at his chest.

"Tembam's brother doesn't even like Bujang."

"You no speak Malay. You know nothing."

"You don't speak it either. He's ambivalent about Bujang. You can tell. He is conducting the slowest rescue in the history of rescues. Yesterday, all he did was drink coffee with his boys."

"What this word- bivalent? Don't speak foreign to me, haole."

He winced as she prodded a bruise on his chest. "It's an English word. He's not sure Bujang is right for his sister."

Bujang is only man for Tembam! He love her forever!" She jabbed a finger at his face.

"I think Bujang is running drugs. He's not such a good guy."

"He only do to make bride price!" She said sharply as she covered him again. "You no understand, haole boy!"

He rolled his head toward her. "My name is Danny. Call me Danny."

"No," she said as she scurried out to the kitchen. "That girl name!"

"What? No. It's not a girl name."

"It girl name. Sui Lee on corner has haole daughter-in-law name Danni. It girl name."

"That's short for Danielle. My name is short for Daniel."

"Same name!" She came back in with a towel. "I wash you now, haole boy."

"Auntie Joon, where is Sang? I want to talk to Sang."

"He busy finding man who kill you. Stay still. I wash you now. Then we watch Manjalara. They hold hand today."

He wanted to fight but the room seemed to spin whenever he tried to lift his head.

She frowned at him. "You not look good. Close you eye. I wake you when they hold hand."

…

Joe emerged from a storefront and beckoned for Chin and Kono. "I got something."

The followed him through the back of the store, and down an alleyway. Then he led them into a back alley Korean BBQ and deli. Chin shook his head. "How did you find this place? My uncle used to bring us here when we were kids."

"We need food," Joe said as he headed for the counter. "I'll get us three orders of bibimbap."

"Joe, we don't really have time to socialize," Chin said.

"You're not going to get anything done if you don't take time to breathe." Joe turned back to the counter and made the order.

Kono wanted to protest but Chin took her arm. "He's right. We haven't eaten all day."

Joe brought a tray of bowls over to the table. "Eat. I'll talk."

Kono and Chin broke the yolks on their eggs and mixed it into the rice and vegetables. Joe stabbed at his with chopsticks. "We're not the only ones looking for Danny's killer."

Kono gave Chin a look. "Duke's got his people out in force. I'm sure there are a lot of people asking questions."

"Okay. What if I told you that Sang Min is asking questions too."

Chin frowned. "What?"

"Doesn't make any sense. Why would Sang Min care? I mean, he kind of likes Danny. The two of them like to spar, and Danny always related to Sang's love of family, but Sang wouldn't go out of his way on something like this," Kono said.

"Are you sure about this, Joe?"

"Oh yeah. Sang has been making inquiries. I have more than one source on that."

"Why?"

Kono waved her chopsticks. "He knows something. He wants confirmation before he sells us the information."

Chin shook his head. "It doesn't make sense. He's not a bargain basement shopper. We can't pay that much."

"But we'll owe him. How much is that worth? Maybe, he's the reason the drug trade got so wonky."

Joe nodded. "I like it. Everyone is saying that the product is new and it's not quality. The word is that there's a new distributor who is monopolizing the market. That's why people don't have any choice but to buy the poor quality dope that's out there."

"What if it's the Reyes Cartel? What if the drugs and Danny's murder are connected?"

Joe pointed a chopstick at Kono. "That's the best theory I've heard in two days. The only problem is that it's not the Reyes Cartel. My connections say no and they're pretty solid."

Chin shrugged. "Then what's the connection to Danny?"

"Killing Danny sure has distracted 5-0, particularly at a time when the players in the drug game appear to have shifted."

"You're saying that killing Danny was to keep us distracted? Unfocused."

"Well, it certainly has been effective."

Kono shivered. "That's cold."

"Well, we don't hunt puppy dogs, do we?"

Chin got up. "Let's go find Sang Min."

….

Sang found refuge in an alley behind a beachside restaurant. He leaned against the concrete wall and hit the number. "Auntie, stop calling me…so, he has a fever. I brought you all that penicillin. Give him some more…No! It's not time. I don't have what I need…Chang brought you fresh fish and vegetables this morning…No! Don't let anyone else into the house. No one can know that he's there…I bought you that big TV. Watch some movies…He'll be fine, and I'll be back in a few hours…Don't let anyone in…"

…..

Steve leaned over the table staring at photos of the crime scene. Law enforcement for him was rarely in the details. His talents came into play once a target was identified. Neutralizing a threat was where he shined- the essence of completing a mission.

In the last six years, he had been studying the art of investigation from his more seasoned colleagues like Danny and Chin. Sometimes, he struggled to find the patience to work the puzzle pieces until they fit. Danny was good at that. He could work a problem in his head for hours, talking through possibilities aloud- exploring all the angles. In the beginning, it bugged Steve until he realized he was getting a master class in investigative technique. After that, he learned to engage in Danny's process with him pushing and pulling at the evidence until information settled into believable scenarios. And the results were good. The two of them had an unmistakable rhythm- one that was conspicuously missing as he stared at these crime photos by himself.

He heard movement inside his office and he straightened. Rachel wanted him to call her when Grace woke, but he wanted a little time with her first. When he got to the doorway, what he saw took his breath away. She was sitting at his desk, dwarfed in his office chair, her chin on the desk, staring at his service piece in its holster still on the desk- only inches from her nose. He strode forward and grabbed it.

She looked up at him. "I wasn't going to touch it. Danno would've been so mad if he knew about me taking Stan's gun today. Danno hated guns."

He felt so stupid about leaving the gun on the desk that it left him almost lightheaded. He turned and stuffed it in the safe behind the door and slammed it shut. "It shouldn't have been out."

"My Danno carried a gun every day but he hated them. Doesn't that seem weird?"

She had a soft, goofy quality to her, and he figured the sedative was still in her system. He knelt down beside her. "Your dad was a man of many contradictions."

She nodded, her eyes blurry. "Mom used to say that all the time."

"Come here." He pulled her in for a hug, and noted how limp she felt in his arms.

She rested her head on his shoulder. "Is he for sure dead? Is my Danno gone forever?"

"I don't know, Gracie. We don't have a…body."

"So, he could still be alive? The TV says he's dead."

He took her by the shoulders and looked into her tired eyes. "I wish I had better answers for you."

"I'm sorry I took Stan's gun."

He brushed hair behind her ear. "Honey, I am so sorry you overheard that conversation. You shouldn't have heard that. I want you to know that nobody is going to let anything happen to you."

"I want to be brave like Danno. I want to protect Charlie. Danno would want that."

His throat swelled with emotion. "You are brave. You're a lot like your dad, and he's the bravest person I've ever known."

She bit her lip. "He told me once that if anything ever happened to him, you would watch over me."

He nodded, but didn't trust himself to speak.

She reached over and patted his face. "Danno said you take too many risks because you don't think it will matter to anyone if you don't make it. He said that he's always trying to show you that you matter. He said that would teach you to be more careful."

He rubbed at his mouth and nodded again.

"Everybody loves you, Uncle Steve. I want you to know that because if Danno is gone forever, we need you more than ever. Okay?"

"Okay," he croaked, unable to stem the emotion.

"I love you, Uncle Steve."

"Me too," he whispered as he hugged her fiercely. He held on for a while until his breathing settled. Then he pulled away and rubbed at his eyes.

"Lou is going to come and take you over to his house so you can be with Mom and Charlie."

She swallowed. "I want to be with you."

"Yeah, but your mom needs you, and I have to find answers about Danno for both of us. Okay?"

She nodded. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "I promise to find out what happened to Danno. I promise you."

…..

He opened his eyes and waited for the room to come into focus. The TV was on as it always was, but Auntie Joon looked bigger than usual. Then the figure he thought was Auntie Joon called out, "Joon, you haole is awake."

Danny struggled to focus his vision on a rounder Asian woman in Auntie Joon's chair. "Who are you?"

"You call me Auntie Liang. I came over to tell Joon that I hope crocodile eat Bujang, and I find haole in her bed. Who knew?"

Auntie Joon came to the door and peered at him closely. "Haole boy still have fever. I make more tea."

Danny screwed up his face and Auntie Liang laughed. "Joon like old school remedy. Personally, I think you need hospital."

"Me too. Get me out of here. My name is Danny Williams."

"Why you have girl name?"

"I don't!" The pain in his head doubled in intensity.

She shook her head. "I call nobody. I still try to think how much trouble that snakehead Sang make for her. I don't want her go to jail for kidnapping."

"I'm a detective with 5-0, but I won't let anything happen to Auntie Joon."

Auntie Liang's eyes grew big. "Oh no! You cop! Joon, you no tell me this! We all going to jail for long time, Joon! We have to kill this haole and bury him up in pineapple fields."

Auntie Joon appeared and pointed at Liang. "Don't touch haole boy! He mine! He no tease me about Manjalara like you, witch lady. He know Bujang is love for Tembam. The haole boy and I bury you in pineapple fields. No problem. Cop get to kill for free! Everybody say."

Danny groaned as he tried to clear his head. "Nobody is getting killed, and nobody is going to jail and nobody is getting buried in a pineapple field! I need a hospital. Lizard tea isn't going to work! Please, Aunties!"

"He right, Joon. He need a real hospital."

"Sang call soon."

"That snakehead nephew of yours hasn't followed through with one promise since 3rd grade."

Auntie Joon's eyes filled. "I need Sang. He help me. He good boy inside. Jail is bad for Sang."

Danny sighed. "He is trying to help because, for some reason, I am still alive. And if we can confirm that there was a contract on my life, I will make sure he's not charged with anything."

Joon touched his face. "You help my Sang?"

Danny nodded. "I promise. Just give me a phone and I'll call my partner. We can't just call 911 in case there is someone out there that still wants me dead."

"Here," Auntie Liang handed him an ancient cell phone. "Call him."

Danny flipped open the phone and stared at it. "I don't remember his number. No one learns numbers anymore. Our phones do it for us."

Auntie Liang grabbed it. "I call local precinct. I know number because I call it on Min Min Lo and his squawking roosters all the time."

She dialed and said, "I need 5-0…" She put hand over phone. "Who you need at 5-0?"

"Steve McGarrett."

She nodded. "Give me Steve Garrett. Hurry up, cop…Why? Cause I have dead haole cop here and he alive…his name Danielle. You know, cop with girl name."

"No," Danny moaned.

She narrowed her eyes. "Dead cop is alive! Give me, Steve Garrett…Don't fight with me, cop…you crazy too!"

"Give me the phone!" He tried to sit up, but pain and dizziness dropped him back into the pillow.

"He give me voice mail," she said putting a hand over the phone. Then she said, "Steve Garrett, this is Liang Lo. I have you dead haole cop friend with girl name. He alive. You got caller ID. Call me."

She closed phone and put it in purse. "Now, we wait."

"Let me call," Danny pleaded.

"No, you waste my minutes," she said with chubby arms folded. "It's time for my soap now. It better than stupid Manjalara."

…

"Hey Tony bruddah, long time no see. You got something for me?" Sang strode into the souvenir shop in full swagger.

"Sang, I hear you're looking for information."

Sang grabbed t-shirts in numerous colors. "You know I am. Put these on my tab."

The man at the register frowned. "You don't have a tab."

"I do now. My auntie likes t-shirts."

Sang, you are a son of a bitch."

He shrugged. "Hard to know. My mom died when I was little. You got what I want?"

"Yeah," Tony smiled as he gestured to the curtain on the back room. "I got what you want."

Sang stiffened. "What did you do, Tony?"

Chin stepped out from behind the curtain. "Hi Sang."

Sang turned and ran for the front door. Kono appeared, gun pointed.

Sang backed up, hands up. "You got this all wrong. I was just visiting with a friend."

"Why are you looking into Danny's death?" Kono asked.

"Hi spicy. I missed you."

She walked up to him, eyes narrowed. "My friend, my dear friend, is dead, and you know something about it."

"It's not what you think, spicy."

"Did you have something to do with this, Sang? All these questions you're asking- is this just to throw us off? Is this another one of your games?" Kono's eyes were wet and the gun stayed pointed at his forehead.

"Kono," Chin said. "Put the gun down. We got this."

"He knows something, Chin." She held tight on her weapon. "I can feel it."

"I was just visiting a friend, spicy."

"You say that again, and I will pull this trigger."

Chin reached her side and placed his hand on her arm. "We're going to take him in, Cuz. Put your weapon down now. That's an order."

She blinked and allowed him to push her arm down. "Sorry Cuz."

"Hey," Sang said as he relaxed. "I'd love to stay and chat but I really got to get back to business, you know. No hard feelings."

"You move, and she's going to drill a hole right between your eyes, and you know she can do it."

"Okay, let's talk here. No need to go anywhere."

"Kono, cuff him."

"No! You don't understand. I have some place to be!"

"Shut up, Sang," she said as she roughly cuffed him.

….

TBC…..


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I know these updates don't come often enough, but I am really trying to write it well. I love all the characters and the bromance, and I hope it shows. Sheila

Auntie

Chapter 5

Sang sat in interrogation, arms folded, glaring at all of them.

McGarrett paced back and forth. "We're supposed to believe that you were investigating Detective Williams' death on your own."

Sang shrugged. "I kind of liked the guy. Plus, I figured there might be a reward."

"I don't buy it," said Steve shaking his head. "You've never done anything in your life unless the pay day was guaranteed. Besides, you know what kind of money we pay out. Since when are you working for peanuts?"

"Listen McGarrett, I asked a few questions. That's all. Not a crime and nothing you can hold me on. Always chasing a bruddah for no reason."

"Chin, how many warrants does the state of Hawaii hold on Sang Min?"

Chin sighed. "Six."

"You are not going anywhere, my friend." Steve leaned in. "What do you know about Danny's death? Tell me now before I beat you senseless."

Sang sneered at McGarrett. "I've been beat by better than you."

Steve dove, tackling the handcuffed Min in his chair and slamming them both to the ground. The chair splintered in all directions.

Chin shouted as he and Kono jumped in and wrestled Steve off Sang. Chin backed him against the wall. "You're too close to this. Back off, Steve."

"He knows something!"

"But we're not going to beat it out of him. That's not how he's built. Take a break, Steve."

"You have spent the last four days acting like you run 5-0, Chin, and it's getting a little old." He was nose to nose with his old friend.

"You want to go down, Steve, 'cause we can do that. I'm ready."

Kono got between them. "Please. We can't do this. Danny deserves better from us."

Steve pointed at Sang who was struggling to a seated position on the floor. "He knows something."

"Then let's play his game," Chin said evenly. "He likes to negotiate. Let's negotiate."

Steve shook his head. "I don't have the patience for this. I'm going back to the office and check on what Jerry's doing. Whatever bit of nonsense he knows, get it out of him, and call me."

Sang looked up Chin and Kono. "Just Chin. Sorry spicy, but you're too dangerous right now."

Kono rolled her eyes. "I'm going to go check in with Joe."

Chin pulled Sang up to his feet and sat him in another chair. Then he got close. "You play one game with me and you'll wish you were in a room alone with McGarrett."

"You need to grab a chair, bruddah, 'cause getting this all out is going to take a minute."

….

Danny woke, feeling heavy from the morphine pumping into his IV. Still, he was cognizant enough to catch the voices emanating from Auntie Joon's small kitchen. It sounded like Chinese, and while he couldn't comprehend, the tone was tense. The number of voices also suggested that there was a growing list of people who knew where he was.

"Auntie Joon!" He lifted his head, fighting dizziness from the narcotics. "Auntie Joon."

She appeared in the doorway looking small and frail. "We got problems, haole boy."

Three more Chinese born faces appeared behind her. He winced. "What's happening?

She came over and felt his face. "Fever better, I think."

"What's happening?" He persisted.

"We need move you, haole boy. Not safe here."

"Slow down, Auntie. Tell me everything."

Sang no come home. His phone go to voicemail every time. It night time."

"Okay. It's okay." He struggled for focus. "We'll try Steve again. He'll come for me."

"No. It too late. Men come already."

He managed to anchor on an elbow and he fought to a sitting position. "What men?"

One of the women came forward, and she looked older than the others. "Do you remember me?"

He concentrated for a moment. "Chin and Malia's wedding?"

She nodded. "That right. I am Malia grandmother, Esther Yang."

"I remember."

"After Malia killed, I came back here to live in old neighborhood. Grandchildren take care of elders, but I had nothing left but Gabriel and he a monster."

"Why are you here, Mrs. Yang?"

"Two men come to my house an hour ago. They are Gabriel boys. They want to see my friend, Joon. They say she has haole in backroom. I call my friend Sui Lee and tell her to pretend to be Joon. They search. They find nothing, but they will come back."

Auntie Liang leaned forward and hissed. "There is snitch in neighborhood. I take my bat to their head and bury them in pineapple field. We take care of you, Danielle."

Danny groaned as he tried to sit up straighter. "Gabriel Waincroft? I don't get it.

"He's always been focused on Kono and Chin."

Joon hurried out of the room.

"I don't know. My grandson is sick boy. Always this way. Killed animals. Hurt girl. He like pain."

Joon returned with syringe and reached for IV. Danny put up a hand. "No more narcotics, Auntie. I have to be able to focus."

"We have to get you out of here," Auntie Liang said.

Danny turned to Mrs. Yang. "Can you call Chin? I can't hide any longer."

"No good," she said. "Gabriel do something to my phone. He always know who I talk to."

"He's pretty sophisticated with technology. Auntie Liang is right. I have to get out of here." He pulled back the blankets and saw he had no pants. He looked at the collection of Chinese women staring at him from the doorway. "Ladies! Find me some pants!"

…

Chin's face had reddened, and he rubbed his face once more. "Let me see if I have this correct. Instead of coming to us, you decided to take advantage of the assassination contract on Danny. Your plan was to fake the kill and let us in on the contractor. You put your boys on it, but they screwed it up and hurt him. You didn't get the name of the contractor so he's been languishing in your Auntie's home in Wahiawa Heights."

Sang screwed up his face. "Yup. That's about it."

"I'm supposed to believe this?"

"Who would make this up?"

"You!"

"No way! Too crazy. You gotta let me go. I gotta protect my Auntie. Picking me up was a bad move. The contractor could be watching. Dumb move, 5-0!"

Chin leaned in. "We're dumb? Your idiocy is monumental here. Nobody is letting you go."

"She could be in danger. Plus, she got your favorite haole. He need a hospital."

Chin got up and pushed his chair away. For a moment, the two men just stared at each other. Sang stuck out his chin. "You gonna hit me, 5-0?"

"I'm going to go check this story out. If you're lying to me, Sang, you will wish you were in a room alone with McGarrett."

"Bring it on, baby! Hey, get my auntie out of there! She not safe there without me!"

Chin shut the door on Sang Min and banged his head against it.

"What's going on?"

He turned to see Kono standing there. He worked his mouth for a moment and then shook his head. "He spouting nonsense, but there's one piece I need to check out."

"Okay. I'll go with you."

"No. It's a dead end. You need to work the case. Sang is just playing for time."

Kono reached for the door. "I'll go in and see if I can get more."

"No!" Chin said. "Let him stew. Please! He's only going to upset you. Let me run this down and then we'll know what needs to happen next."

"You sure?"

"He loves attention. Leave him alone. Okay. I'll be back soon."

"Alright. We'll let him cool his heels."

…..

The smell in the back of the truck was the sick, sweet scent of rotting fruit that seeped into the old wood. One of the women had thrown a blanket back in there with him, and Danny try to use it to protect himself as the old pineapple truck bounced off every bump in the road. The driving was jerky and he'd been reluctant to let Auntie Liang do the driving, but she'd been insistent, and it was better to have him out of sight.

Morphine was leaving his body, and pain was waking throughout his body. He was sure of the broken ribs, but now he was discovering that he probably had a broken ankle, and the ache in his head was deep and incessant. Every bump sent pain shooting throughout him.

The truck jerked to a stop and he groaned his relief. Auntie Liang unhooked the back and he saw himself surrounded by pineapple fields. "What the hell! I told you to bring me to the palace!"

Auntie Joon appeared. "She not know the way. Plus, too many cars on road. It scary to drive Honolulu."

He inched his way to the edge of the truck and gestured. "How is a pineapple plantation supposed to help me?!"

Auntie Liane ignored his energy. "Look. We have nice security shack. My son stay up here when harvest is close."

"It have TV?" Joon said with a frown.

Auntie Liang put hands on hips. "How a person do security if there is TV?"

"I miss Manjalara!"

"You live, old woman."

Danny slid off truck and yelped in pain as he toppled to the ground. "Give me the keys. I'm driving us out of here."

"You too sick," Liang observed as she leaned down and grabbed his arm. "We rest in shack for a few hours and you drive us out when you feel better. After dark is better."

Joon took his other arm. "We set up nice spot for you inside. Give you drug."

"No," he groaned. "I need to be able to think. No more drugs."

…

Chin went up to the small, battered house. Like many houses in the poorer sections of Oahu, there was living space outside under a makeshift, tin overhang. He ducked under it, and knocked on the door to the kitchen. There was no answer, and when he looked through the window, the space was empty. Yet, something felt off. There was a stew sitting on the stove and dishes dirty in the small sink. Most of the older Chinese immigrant women were fastidious about their space, no matter how shabby. He went around to the back and looked in the bedroom window. The room was empty but the bed was unmade. Someone had left in a hurry.

He heard a rustling in the grass, and he turned, hand on his gun. A child who looked to be about six years old appeared, and he relaxed, letting his hand fall to his side.

The little boy had hair falling into his eyes. "You Chin Ho Kelly?"

"How did you know?"

"Come with me."

Chin grabbed the boy before he could scamper off. "Where are we going?"

"My auntie wants to talk to you."

"Who's your auntie?"

The boy wriggled out of his grasp and ran off. Chin trotted after him. The unpaved streets were full of puddles from the tropical rain of a typical Hawaiian afternoon, and the boy managed to land in every puddle.

Chin followed warily, aware that it would be a perfect way to lure a cop into a trap. The boy stopped at a shack on the corner and turned around. "Auntie Sui Lee wants to talk to you."

Then he ran off. Chin approached the shack with caution. There were almost no cars in this neighborhood. The streets were narrow, and most of the people relied on public transportation to get around. Nothing in any direction spoke of an ambush. Still, he kept his hand on his gun as he knocked. An elderly Chinese American woman in a housedress and slippers answered. She smiled. "Esther said you handsome. Come in."

He ducked his head in the small doorway and walked into a poor but immaculate kitchen. She gestured to a chair. "Sit down, handsome boy. I get you tea. Esther, he here."

Esther Yang came out from behind the curtain to the bedroom. "How you do, grandson?"

"Grandmother Esther!" Chin was on his feet. "What are you doing here? Malia bought you that lovely high rise apartment."

She hugged him and gestured. "I have no friend in that building. Malia dead and nobody to visit me. Beside, the utility take up half my social security."

"You should have said something. It is my job to watch over you."

She patted his face. "You have you own family. I happy here."

"I have a responsibility to you and I failed."

"No," she said pushing him into a chair. "My grandson, Gabriel, have responsibility, but I don't want blood money. Stop you worry. We here to talk about your haole friend. He need help bad."

…

Steve had Kono pull up the phone message on speaker and they both listened. "What does she mean 'dead haole cop with girl name'?"

"It could be a crackpot, boss."

"I assume she's talking about Danny. Pull up her number and call. Let's put it on speaker."

Joe came in. "What's going on?"

Steve looked up. "Strange message on my voicemail. We're just checking it out."

"It's ringing," Kono said.

"Hello! Who call me?"

Steve leaned over the table. "This is Commander Steve McGarrett, Hawaii 5-0. You have a tip on Detective Danny Williams' murder."

"You Garrett? Take you long enough. I have Danielle."

Steve screwed up his face at Kono. "Danielle? I don't understand."

"You dead haole cop!"

"Do you have information on his murder, Ma'am?"

"He not dead, Garrett! You confuse. He with me and Joon."

Steve took a deep breath. "Is a joke, lady, 'cause I will have you arrested and thrown in jail for providing a false lead!"

"It no joke."

Then he heard voices in the background, and one of the sounds hit him in the gut. "Ma'am, you still there? Ma'am! Who's with you?"

For a moment, there was nothing but arguing and then, "Steve!"

"Danny! Danny, is that you? Where are you? Are you okay?"

"Not really. That car wreck left me all busted up, and now, I'm under the control of the worst Chinese-Hawaiian old lady gang in history. I need help bad!" More commotion in the background. "No Auntie Liang! You can not have your phone back!"

Kono squealed and threw her arms around Joe. "It's him! It has to be. Nobody else sounds like that."

Steve leaned over the console as if it was the only thing keeping him upright. "How Danny? How?"

"Sang Min had a master plan. There is a contract out on me and Grace. He decided to take it, pretend to run me off the road, keep me alive, and turn the contractor over to you. The plan went south, and I've spent the last four days trying to heal a concussion and bad ribs with Chinese remedies I wouldn't wish on Hitler's ghost."

"We have Sang in custody."

"Good! His Auntie Joon is worried. Grace is in danger, Steve. Your priority is my daughter."

Steve's face was wet despite the palace air conditioning and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "She's with Lou and family. Charlie and Rachel too. He's got SWAT watching them."

"Not good enough. It's Waincroft, Steve. I don't know why, but Gabriel Waincroft wants me dead. That son of a bitch has informants buried all through HPD. You know that."

"Waincroft? Doesn't make sense. Why you?"

"Really! Should we discuss it for awhile? 'Cause we got all the time in the world. My new aunties brought me up to an abandoned pineapple security shack to hide out 'cause Gabriel may have figured out my murder didn't take. For weapons, we got a rusty machete and Auntie Liang brought a WWII service pistol that hasn't been cleaned since the Japanese surrender. It has two bullets. Our only chance is if we can get our assassins to hold still long enough for one of these aunties to hack at them with this dull machete."

"Can you give us directions?"

"No! I was in the back of a pineapple truck praying my ribs didn't disenegrate. I've asked the aunties but they can only say it's a Dole plantation and they took a right at the red house and a left at the sugar cane fields. That should narrow it down one or two million acres."

"Don't worry, buddy. Kono will lock onto your phone."

"Good luck. I think Auntie Liang bought it in 1999."

Kono shook her head. "It's almost impossible if it's not a smart phone."

Her phone rang and she grabbed it. "Chin."

Steve nodded and spoke into the console again. "Danny, you hold on! We'll talk to Dole and get locations on all their security huts. It'll only take a couple of hours, and we'll have you safe."

"Battery on this phone is getting low, and the look on Auntie's face tells me she didn't bring a recharger."

"Hey!" Kono said. "Chin's on the phone. He's down in the neighborhood where Danny was being held. He says that there was a car that followed the truck out when the ladies took Danny and left. They need to get out of there, Steve!"

"You hear that, Danny? Can you drive?"

"Well, we're about to find out. Hey, maybe Sang knows how to find us."

"Okay. Preserve the battery. Call us back as soon as you identify a location."

"Yeah."

Steve grinned. "We got you back, buddy, so we're not letting anything happen to you now. You hear me?""

"You just make sure my children are safe, Steve. That's what matters. You promise me."

"You matter, Danny. You matter so damn much I don't have words, man."

"Love you too, Steve. See you in a few."

Got it."

Steve heard the click on the phone and let out breath. Then he turned to Kono. "Sang!"

She took off, and Steve focused on Joe. "Waincroft? What the hell does he want?"

"Motive isn't important right now, Steve. Danny's right. Waincroft has informants everywhere."

"It's SWAT, Joe."

"Really? I know these are good guys, but you tell me that Waincroft doesn't have someone's daughter hostage in a warehouse while he's calling the shots. Waincroft isn't your typical sociopath. He slithers into the most unexpected places. Don't forget Kono's honeymoon."

Steve stared at him. "Nobody can hide people better than you, Joe."

Joe grinned. "I was hoping you would say that."

"If anything happens to Gracie, there's no point in rescuing Danny. Get it done."

…

Danny was walking along the wall of the shack to the door with gritted teeth. "Grab the gun and the damn machete. Where are the keys? We gotta get out of here."

"You no drive, Danielle."

Well, I know that you _no driving_." He launched himself out the door and stumbled toward the truck. "Help me into the cab. Both of you in the front with me. Auntie Joon, is that gun loaded?"

He howled as they boosted him into the cab of the old truck. He clutched the wheel as his brain flirted with unconsciousness. When his vision cleared, he turned on the ignition and grabbed the clutch. "Let's do it."

"We with you, Danielle."

They pulled out and, almost immediately, Danny saw headlights turn on from a spot in the fields. He nodded. "They must have followed us here. In this old truck, we're not going to be able to outrun 'em. I want you two on the floor under the dash."

Joon held up the gun. "No! I help you, haole boy."

He grabbed the gun from her. "Auntie! On the floor! Now!"

The two women crouched under the dash as Danny hit the accelerator. "Auntie Liang, call Steve."

"Garrett?"

"Yes! Call Garrett!"

The old woman fumbled with her phone and dialed. "Hey Garrett! This is Liang Lo. We running from bad snakes. Danielle say to tell you this…"

She looked up. "He want to know where we are."

Danny nodded. "I just saw a sign for Old Wakailani Road."

"Old Wakailani, Garrett!" She yelled into phone. Then she looked up at Danny. "He say go south."

"Tell him to shut up and get his ass up here 'cause we are not going to outrun these animals." Cracking sounds erupted and Danny leaned over the wheel and shouted. "They are firing on us! The minute they kill these tires, it's all over."

Liang held up the phone. "You hear that, Garrett." Then she put it to her ear again. "We screwed. You hurry!...Don't yell at me!..."

She looked at Danny again. "He want to talk to you!"

"It's too late, Steve!" Danny said without turning his attention from the road. "We almost pulled it off, brother. I could just about picture you and me at Side Street laughing over this whole thing by the weekend. You just focus on getting Waincroft. Do it for me and do it for Grace. Gotta go, pal. Hang it up, Auntie."

When she did, he managed at a glance at the two of them huddled under the dash. "I'm sorry, Aunties. I wish I could protect you better than this. Right now, I need you to put your hands over your head 'cause this truck is about to have an accident."

He looked in the rearview mirror and waited until the sedan was on his tail and then he hit the brakes with everything he had.

…

"Nooo!"

Kono led Sang in just as Steve was screaming into the phone. "Boss?"

The look on his face was the closest thing to panic she'd ever seen on Steve McGarrett. "Waincroft's goons are on them! They are up on Old Wakailani Road. Let's go!"

…..

TBC….


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This story is eccentric and too much fun. Only one more chapter to go. My fascination with the McDanno bromance shows in this chapter. Despite not getting the usual number of reviews, the quality of reviews I get are terrific. Thanks for inspiring me to finish this. Sheila

Auntie

Chapter 6

Chin kept his lights on bright as he drove Old Wakailani Road. It was a long road that stretched across most of Oahu's plantations. There was almost no street lights up in this country and his only consolation was a full moon in a clear, starry sky. He was at least fifteen minutes ahead of anyone else. Kono called every few minutes to announce that others had joined the search. Kamekona and Flippa were riding the shrimp van, and Jerry had picked up Max, and was headed up to the fields. Even Duke Lukela was coming. He knew the leaks in HPD were bad so Kono said Duke was plainsclothes in his own car. The calls were frantic because Sang Min was in the backseat yelling about getting his handcuffs removed and needing a weapon.

The only sounds missing were from Steve. He was driving, and Chin never heard a peep out of him when Kono called. He knew McGarrett well enough to know that Steve had gone to a place deep inside himself where nothing mattered but the mission in front of him. That would be a comforting thought if not for the widening chasm between him and Steve. If this went bad, there would be questions about his decision to check out Sang's story on his own, and Chin doubted that their relationship could survive it. He suspected that, with all of Steve's control issues, there would always be something in the back of the Navy Seal's head wondering if they could've saved Danny if they'd all gone down to Sang Min's aunt's house when Sang first gave him the story. And Chin knew that he would be right. Chin had spent so much of the last four days trying to manage their grief and protect them from more that he'd buried the best lead they had.

The anxiety in Chin's gut was not just for Danny but for the survival of the 5-0 ohana they had all worked so hard to build. Chin worked to steady his breathing as he frantically searched the dark country road for signs of life.

…

The two women dragged him through the shards of glass and onto the stiff bed of sugarcane trodden by roll of the pineapple truck. Liang kept up a litany of complaints in Chinese directed at Joon, but the tiny woman was determined to get her haole boy out of the truck. Smoke billowed out of the sedan crushed under the truck when Danny hit the brakes.

When Danny was settled on the ground, Joon turned and said something sharply to her friend. Liang got up and crawled back into the truck. Then she took her haole boy's face in her hands. "Wake up, haole boy! Wake up! You okay. I know you okay. Please. You okay?"

Eyes didn't open, but a long moan sounded. Joon smiled. "This good, haole. This good."

"Where is Auntie Liang?"

"She looking for gun."

Danny grimaced as his eyes opened. "How am I still alive?"

"Stinky lizard tea."

"Noooo!"

"It a joke. I happy you alive, haole boy!" She patted his face.

Danny was staring past her. She looked back. "We crush 'em up."

His breath caught. "Auntie Joon, where's that gun?"

She looked again and saw someone dragging himself out of the backseat of the sedan. "Oh no!"

Danny tried to rise up, but the pain was too much. "I need a gun!"

Joon scrambled over to the truck lying on its side. "Hurry Liang!"

Danny watched as the man dragged a semi automatic out of the sedan. "Aunties!"

"I can't find it!" came a voice from the overturned cab of the truck.

"Hurry!" The only saving grace was the man with the semi automatic was clearly injured and disoriented. Danny watched as the man plopped it in his lap and looked around.

Then the man focused in on Danny lying on the ground, clutched the gun, and struggled to get to his feet.

Danny looked over to the cab of the truck and yelled, "Aunties! Run!"

….

Chin cursed the lack of road lighting as he squinted through the windshield of his car with his cell pasted to one ear. "I'm trying to make sure I don't miss anything, Kono…There are at least 40 miles of winding road up here…You got everyone on this? Jerry? Max? Kamekona? Duke?...Good. They could've gone off the road and ended up on one of these dirt roads. It's hard to know…"

Sharp, distinctive cracks sounded in the distance.

Chin shouted into the phone. "Gunshots! Sounds close! Kono, lock on my phone, and send everyone to me!"

He could see smoke rising up from a wreck. As he got closer, he saw the crushed remains of a car and a pineapple truck rolled over into a ditch. He drew his weapon and circled the scene. "Hello! Hawaii 5-0! Everyone okay?"

A small Asian woman appeared out of the shadows carrying an old machete. "Get back, snakehead! You Gabriel boy!"

"No ma'am. I am 5-0. Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly. I'm Danny's friend."

"Don't believe you! I no fool!" She shouted fiercely. "I cut you up and bury you in pineapple field!"

"Chin!" Came a familiar voice. "Is that really you?"

Chin's body shuddered as relief flooded through him. "Danny!"

"He snakehead, Danielle!" Liang insisted.

"No. He's my friend. We need his help."

She still glared at Chin, but she let the machete fall to her side. Chin ran past her following the sound of Danny's voice. He found Danny lying in sugarcane, another small Asian woman crouched next to him. He was holding onto an old revolver.

Danny smiled through labored breathing. "You're a sight, Chin."

Chin knelt down next to him with a big smile. "God, it's good to see you."

"I'm banged real good, brah."

"I can see that." He nodded at the gun. "You kill someone with that relic?"

Danny pointed the gun at a body in the cane. "Auntie Joon got it to me just in time."

Danny groaned as he tried to shift his body, but Chin was still looking at him with a goofy grin on his face.

Danny gave him a look. "You need to practice your empathy."

"Danny, we thought you were dead for four of the longest days of my life. I got nothing but love in my heart right now."

"We got problems, Chin. I figure Waincroft's people are on their way."

"Calvary is on its way," Chin said. Still, he straightened up, and went toward the remains of the car, his weapon drawn. He pulled a flashlight and checked out the inside of the car.

"Two dead in the front," he called and then crawled into the back seat. He reappeared holding a phone. "There's a text to someone after the crash. Trouble is on its way."

He reached for his own phone when he heard Auntie Liang threaten to bury someone in pineapple field again. Danny twisted in her direction. "Who is it?"

Chin ran past him, gun drawn. He threw the beam of his flashlight in the direction of three figures in the dark, and relaxed when he saw it was Kono, Steve, and Sang Min. Sang had no cuffs on and was rubbing his wrists.

Chin nodded. "Auntie, put down the machete. They're here to help."

She kept it raised, her eyes narrowed at Sang. "I know that snakehead. He bad nephew."

"Who invited you to this party?" Sang sneered.

"Joon need protection and you no good," she countered.

Chin put a hand on her arm and pulled the machete out of her grasp. "No time for nonsense, Auntie. We have to move fast."

"What's the situation and where's Danny?" Steve said as he moved past Chin.

Chin nodded to Kono. "We need a lookout for Waincroft's people."

She nodded and set up on the road.

Then he fell in after Steve. "We don't have much time, Steve. People are on their way."

Steve didn't acknowledge him. A ragged breath came when he spotted Danny in the sugarcane. He knelt down and put his hand on Danny's cheek. "You have no idea, Danny."

"You took care of her for me, didn't you?"

He nodded, rubbing his mouth. "Hardest week of my life."

Danny closed his eyes and nodded. "Okay. I get it. But we gotta save it for later. We'll write each other love poems or something. We got work to do."

"Got to get you to a hospital."

Danny shook his head. "Can't. Too risky. We don't even know what's going on, Steve."

"You're hurt bad."

Danny glanced at Joon sitting near his head. "I lasted for four days with Auntie Joon treating me with bad Malaysian soap operas and stinky lizard tea. If I wasn't going to make it, we'd know by now."

"Shut up. You're no doctor. You'll do what I say."

Kono appeared. "Duke is here."

Steve looked up. "Bring him back. We have to figure out protection at the hospital."

Duke Lukela came back wearing a Hawaiian shirt and jeans. "Danny, finding you alive is really good news."

"He needs a hospital."

Duke sighed. "You sure this is Waincroft?"

"Yeah."

"Protection is going to be a nightmare. He's not just dangerous; he's creative. He has infiltrated my department in a number of ways, and I can't guarantee anything."

"Duke's right," Danny said. "I need a safe house, not a hospital."

Auntie Joon patted his head. "I take care of haole boy good."

Sang appeared. "No love for me, Auntie?"

She frowned at him. "You late. We almost dead. Poor haole boy hurt again."

"I got arrested! Not my fault."

"You always arrested. You snakehead!"

"Okay," Chin said with his hands in the air. "That's enough! We load Danny into a car now or we get ready for a shootout."

Steve tensed and looked up. "Four hours you knew he was alive. And when we found out, it wasn't even from you."

"I was checking out Sang's story, Steve. If you and I need to rumble, let's do it, but let's take care of business first."

Danny noted the anger between his friends. "Hey! I'm gone four days and the two of you engage in a dick waving contest. I don't think so. Put it away until later."

Kono ran up. "Kamekona is here with the van. There's room for Danny. Are we doing this or what?"

"Yeah," Steve said getting to his feet. "I got a place. Let's get out of here."

….

Lou Grover stood on his porch in the early dawn and chewed on a cigar. It was a little early for tobacco, but it helped hide a smile on his face. On the other side of the porch stood the new SWAT Commander, arms folded. A two hour argument between the two of them had stopped only a few minutes earlier.

The last of the cars in the cul de sac was being towed away. The neighbors were going to scream, but Lou didn't care. They had already squawking about the SWAT vans on the street the last two days. Lou would pay for the tows, but it wouldn't protect him from a neighborhood not used to the vagaries of law enforcement. Still, he didn't care. It was all going to worth it.

He heard the rotors before he saw the large Navy helo transport. He peered in the window to the living room. His pissed off wife, Renee, daughter, Rachel, Grace, and Charlie were seated among hastily packed bags. That was the only rough spot. Clearly, she was going to have to absorb most of the anger from the neighbors.

The helo was impressive and, despite its size, it dropped with grace and precision. Joe White hopped out, crouched over, and came running. He greeted Lou at the stairs. "You ready?"

"You kidding? We get to hide out on a Navy battle cruiser in the Pacific. This would have been on my bucket list if I could even imagine such a thing."

"It's not a cruise ship, Lou."

"It's better."

Joe chuckled. "You tell her yet?"

"Nope. She's twelve years old. She'll tell the world. The plan is to wait until we get on the ship."

"Good."

"I get to touch things, right? You're going to get me up to the bridge, okay. Maybe, I'll steer the ship or something like that."

"Yeah, 'cause this is all about you."

Lou shrugged. "It's been a rough week."

"Yeah," Joe said patting his shoulder. "Let's get them on the ship and tell them some good news."

…..

Danny woke to silence for the first time in a week. There was an IV again, but the house wasn't Auntie Joon's. The shades were drawn, and Danny felt panic in his gut. The possibility that he was under Waincroft's control ran through his head. Then he noted a familiar scent and turned his head. A familiar head of hair was resting on the bed beside him. He touched it and the head popped up, Kono's eyes blinking as she sat back in her chair. She showed him a sleepy smile. "Hi brother."

"Hey beautiful," he murmured. "Tell me we're somewhere safe. Tell me Grace and Charlie are okay."

"They are on the U.S.S. Minneapolis somewhere about 500 miles off shore."

"Seriously. That's cool. Does Grace know that I'm okay?"

"Yeah. She cried on the phone with Steve for about 20 minutes."

"I want to talk to her."

"The ship is on radio silence right now. The next opportunity will be some time tomorrow."

"Poor Grace."

"She's a strong kid, Danny. You made her strong."

"She deserves better than this. I should've been a school teacher."

She laughed. "You would've lasted less than a week, Danny. You are one of those people that was born for the job you have."

He nodded and ran fingers through his hair. "Where's Steve? Where are we? What happened last night?"

"Lots of drama," she sighed. "You're at Steve's house. Basement bedroom."

Danny squinted. "If he was any kind of friend, I'd have the master bedroom."

"Exactly," she chuckled. "But we have to keep you out of sight. We're not sure that Waincroft actually knows you are alive."

"Tell me everything."

"I'm not supposed to stress you."

"Kono, I eat stress for breakfast. Fill me in."

"Well, Max is your doctor and that doesn't make him happy because he generally works on dead people. He thinks you should be in a hospital."

"He'll do fine."

"Your aunties are still here."

Danny smiled. "Those ladies are amazing. Tougher than nails. I say we hire them to interrogate our suspects."

Kono threw back her head and laughed. "They've taken over the house. According to them, Steve lives like a pig. They have dismantled his kitchen. Auntie Joon is upset about Steve's cable package. Apparently, he doesn't have the channel that carries her favorite soap opera."

"Ohhh," Danny groaned. "That has to get fixed right away. Bujang is about to hold hands with Tembam. We can not- I repeat- we cannot miss that."

"Jerry is rigging something up, and, last I heard, Sang was going up to the roof to set it up."

"It's a circus."

"Yeah, it is." She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "I am so glad you're back, Danny."

"Okay, now tell me what's really going on. Last night, Steve and Chin were circling each other like a pair of bulls."

Kono looked down for a long moment.

He squeezed her hand. "It's okay, Sweetie. We're ohana and the Steve whisperer is back. Tell me about it."

She nodded, still not looking up. "It's been rough, and…uh, you know how he gets under extreme stress."

"Ahh. So, the Seal returned. Mission mode."

"Yeah."

"Almost no communication. Superhuman expectations. Am I on the right track?"

"Yeah. We needed to work together as a team, and we needed each other because it was you…" Her voice cracked.

"I'm so sorry." He massaged her knuckles. "I am so very sorry. I let my anxiety lead me right into a trap."

"Nobody blames you."

"Well, they should. Tell me more."

"Chin had to compensate, and they just kept butting heads. Steve thought he was trying to take over. Chin was only-"

"You don't need to explain it. Chin was doing the right thing. In fact, he should get a medal for standing up to "shoot first, ask questions later" McGarrett."

"Yeah, but the boss had it rough. You are very important to him…you're like his anchor, and then there was Grace. She needed him and, in the midst of this craziness, he was there for her."

Danny's eyes watered. "My poor little monkey."

She nodded. "The final straw was finding you. Sang told Chin all about what happened, but instead of telling us, he went to investigate it himself. He knew for four hours without telling us, Danny. We could've lost you last night. What if we hadn't gotten to you in time?"

"Please! I was under the protection of two very capable Hawaiian senior citizens."

"Chin was wrong."

Danny shook his head. "Come on. Sang Min tells Chin a crazy story about setting up an assassination plot with his gang of bobbleheads and then says I'm stashed at his auntie's shack. Please! Chin was absolutely correct in checking that out before telling Steve. Can you imagine? He would have landed in that 'hood with enough hardware to level the place. The situation needed a softer touch."

She sighed. "This always works for you. You can say or do whatever you want with Steve, and he just accepts it."

"It's because he thinks I'm disabled."

"What? He does not."

"He does!" Danny threw his hands into the air. "He thinks I can't control myself. My anxiety. My…contrariness. He thinks it would be like asking an autistic guy not to be autistic. It can't be done."

"I think it's a little more complex than that."

"I don't." They turned to see Steve standing in the doorway. "He is diseased."

"Hey boss." Kono's face reddened. "You need something?"

"Sang's aunt and her friend are camped out in the kitchen, and they won't cook any "haole box" food. Kamekona is out buying rice, and Sang and Chin are fishing in the surf for lunch. I kid you not."

"I'm not sure they'll listen to me any better than you."

"Oh, I've given up on logic, but the kitchen has never been cleaner."

"Did you fix the cable?" Danny asked. "You gotta fix the cable so she can watch Manjalara."

"Yes," he sighed. "We are now pirating channels I never knew existed."

Steve just stood in the doorway with his hands in his pockets looking awkward. Kono gave Danny a kiss on the cheek, "Let me go see if I can help those guys snag something in the surf."

Danny motioned him over. "Come on. Sit down. I'm alive. It's time to relax a little."

Steve dropped into the chair Kono vacated.

"Didn't sleep yet, did ya?"

Steve shrugged. "This is not over. What does Waincroft want? You're not safe, and neither is your family until we come to some resolution. How long are we going to be holed up here like the Swiss Family Robinson eating fish stew?"

Danny smiled. "That's good, Steve. Humor. That's a good sign. You've been through a lot."

He nodded but said nothing.

"I say we have a little team meeting. We'll work together. Come up with a plan."

"You should be in a hospital."

"Well, that's not going to happen. I have Max and painkillers and Auntie Joon. I'll be fine."

Steve looked down. "I was hard on Chin."

"Really? I'm dead for four days and you can't celebrate because you were a dick to someone. Apologize and move on."

"Yeah." Steve nodded.

Danny sighed. "You want to say something, don't you? And you're going to just sit there like a little boy until I drag it out of you."

"Losing you felt…I love you, Danny…not in a "I want to get in your pants kind of way", but I love you and…it was kind of thing where I didn't realize how hard it is to not have you around."

"Hey, sometimes I go to Jersey and you do just fine."

"How many times a day do we still talk when you do that? We're besties, BFF's, gal pals, husband and wife- whatever you want to call it."

"What's your problem?"

Steve blew out air hard. "I'm not making any sense."

"Okay, McGarrett. Answer some questions for me. When you were in the Navy, how often did you see your dad?"

"Once every couple of years."

Danny nodded. "And how often did you talk on the phone?"

He shrugged. "Every couple of months."

"Right. So, you were a good son, but like a good Seal, you didn't foster any dependencies. I am a dependency. I like family. I call my mom five times a week. I insist she puts dad on the phone at least twice a week. My sisters hear from me every week. I'm needy."

Steve sighed. "You're not…needy."

"Oh, shut up. I am too. I've crawled under your skin and you don't like it because it got very hard when you thought I was dead. You couldn't concentrate. You discovered you had emotions and you didn't like it. And then you inherited a 12 year old girl who needed you more than anything."

Steve rubbed his face and looked down.

You're trying to break up with me, and I'm telling you it's not going to happen."

"I'm not breaking up with you!"

"I know you're not because this is what real family looks like when your mother isn't a secret CIA agent who fakes her own death."

"Oh really? A friendship with Danny Williams is normal? I've had plenty of guy friends. This is not normal."

"Steve, look at me." Danny struggled into a sitting position. "Damn. Let's find out what Max is dosing me with 'cause this is better than morphine. Plus, I can think. Okay. Forget that. Look at me."

"I'm looking," Steve said with some of the old exasperation that had characterized their daily interactions.

"I get close to people. I care. It's my gift and my curse. I care like crazy about the people in my life- which means I both love and harass all of you continually. But I need you to understand something. You came into my life when I was four thousand miles away from everyone that mattered except my little girl. And a few months later, I saw my brother for the last time. I was ready to disappear into a bottle when you showed up. You brought me back to life, bro. And I'm sorry it was hard, but that's what you risk when you let people get close."

Steve worked his mouth for a moment. "You shouldn't have taken Sang's bait."

Danny nodded. "Agreed. Of course, that also means Waincroft would have sent someone else after me- someone who really wanted me dead."

"Maybe I can finally think this through."

"Yup," Danny nodded. "Let's get the team together and we'll work it."

"I need sleep."

"You do. And your apology to Chin will sound so much better once you're rested."

Steve chuckled. "Okay."

"No more talk about breaking up."

"I'm not the one who brought it up. We're not breaking up." Then Steve saw that Danny was looking past him with a grin.

Steve turned around and saw a number of faces framed in the doorway. He rolled his eyes and looked toward the ceiling while Danny grinned. "Chin, he needs some sleep and then he'll apologize for being an idiot."

Chin nodded. "I already heard it."

"And you all heard then that the bromance lives on."

"As it should," Kamekona said with a big smile.

Liang broke through. "Garrett has no good spices, Danielle."

"We'll figure something out."

"His name is Danny by the way," Steve said.

She frowned. "That girl name."

"Actually, Danielle is a girl name."

"Not true. Sui Lee has haole niece with Danny name. You wrong."

"I am not wrong," he persisted.

She turned to Danny. "These boy bad fishermen. Only two squid and a dogfish. They need practice, Danielle."

Well, you get on it then, Auntie."

Steve stood. "Do you hear the difference when I say Daniel as opposed to Danielle?"

"Same name!" She barked.

Steve gave him a look, but Danny only shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I like it. Wait until 2 p.m. comes. Manjalara comes on. Tembam might hold hands with Bujang."

"Huh?"

"Just go to bed, Steve. We'll figure out the next step when you wake up."

…..

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I have apologies to make. I am a very busy person professionally, and I haven't had the time I needed to update this story. I also promised this was the last chapter, but it's not. I like everything to make sense. Sometimes, the show rushes a story and it irritates me. I need the motives for the final act to be fully understood. Plus, I love writing these characters and bringing in humor. The next chapter will most definitely be the last. Thank you for your comments. They inspire me to keep writing. Sheila

Auntie

Chapter 6

"Garrett, they killing him! They killing my boy! My haole boy!" The voice was shrill and his eyes popped open to see two panicked Asian Hawaiian faces staring down at him. His body was trained for threat and he launched himself up and past them, stopping only to grab his service weapon off the nightstand. Downstairs, a howl split the air and he thundered down steps while giving his living room below a quick survey. Sang Min was slumped on the couch watching TV, and Steve made a quick mental note to shoot him when this was all over.

Another howl rose up, and he identified it as coming from the basement. He hit the old shag carpet on the living room floor and headed for the basement. Weirdly, Kamekona was planted in a loveseat blocking the stairs to the basement, and McGarrett waved his service weapon at him. "Out of the way!"

The native Hawaiian's eyes went wide, but before he could move, there was a flash out of the corner of Steve's left eye and he was hit around the middle. He hit the living room floor hard, but kept control of his piece and rolled through the fall hooking his assailant around the waist. There was a strangled cry, "Steve!", but he ignored it until he'd completed his roll, straddled the perpetrator, and pointed a gun between her eyes.

It was then that he found his gun barrel resting on Kono's forehead. Panic seized him and he released his grip on the gun.

"Damn Kono!" He barked as she let out breath.

A blood curdling howl that was definitely Danny exploded and he scrambled for his gun again. Kono grabbed his arm and hung on for life. "Stop! It's okay! Danny's okay!"

"No!" Auntie Joon squawked. "They killing him!"

Steve's instincts imploded and he yelled, "What the hell is going on?"

Breathing hard and still underneath him, Kono managed to slap the gun across the room. "Max brought an orthopedist and a neurologist to look Danny over this morning! They brought a portable x-ray machine and everything!"

"I didn't approve this!"

"You were sleeping, and it was the right thing to do. Chin and I made the call. They signed confidentiality agreements and they don't know Danny's name."

"What are they doing to him?" Steve barked into her face.

"Can I get up, Boss?" Her tone alerted him to the various levels of broken boundaries occurring in the moment, and he jumped off of her.

She sat up next to him, and Liang pointed a finger in her face. "She a danger witch, Garrett! She bad! She work for Gabriel!"

Kono glared at Liang. "You better get back in that kitchen, old woman, before I lock you and your friend in the shed out back!"

Sang laughed from the couch. "You tell 'em, Spicy!"

"What the hell has been going on around here?" Steve bellowed. "We're all on the same side!"

Kono snapped her fingers at the two old women, and they retreated reluctantly to the kitchen. "They are a handful, Boss."

Kamekona nodded from his seat in front of the basement steps. "Sang is setting all of these fine Asian sisters up for a cage match. He keeps poking the bear. He jealous because the Aunties have a soft spot for our Jersey boy."

"Speaking of which, why are you guarding the stairs to my basement and why is Danny screaming in pain?"

Kono sighed. "Danny has cracked ribs, four of them, and a broken ankle. Ankle needs to be reset, but Danny told the orthopedist that he couldn't wait for surgery. They are downstairs re-breaking the ankle and setting it on a local anesthesia. Auntie Joon disagreed with the treatment plan, and threatened to kill the doctor. I had to carry her all the way up the stairs."

"I took video of it and going to post it on my page," Sang said with arms folded, pretending an ease that wasn't in his tone. "They can keep that stupid blonde haole."

Kamekona gestured at Sang. "The whole morning has been a hornet's nest of intrigue."

Another particularly distressing howl issued from below, and Joon strode out of the kitchen with a butcher knife raised over her head. Kamekona threw up his elbows. "Help!"

Kono took her from behind, pulled the knife out of her hand, threw it on the ground, and carried the tiny woman back in the kitchen under one arm without a single word. Steve watched the whole thing with his jaw open. "Seriously?"

"All morning long," Kamekona said shaking his head slowly. "Those Aunties take their possessions very seriously, and they seem uninterested in sharing our 5-0 bruddah with us."

Steve turned his fury on the couch. "Sang! Whatever is happening…make it stop!"

"It has nothing to do with me," Sang said looking away.

Steve pointed a finger. "None of this would've happened if you had come to us the minute you found out about the contract! You and I are due for a little one on one!"

"It wasn't economically feasible. I got responsibilities!"

Steve scrambled to his feet and was starting for the couch when another yell sounded. He turned and headed for Kamekona. "Let me through. I need to check on Danny."

Kamekona shook his head, beefy arms folded tightly. "I ain't here just to keep Aunties from going down. Danny gave me strict orders. You are a soft touch when it comes to him. He can take it. He's going to be okay."

Steve frowned at Kamekona and yelled "Danny, you okay?"

There was silence for a moment and then a familiar voice sounded from below, "Leave me alone, you Neanderthal animal!"

Steve smiled. "He's going to be okay."

He turned to find Kono standing there with a stern look on her face. "What?"

"You have unfinished business."

He nodded. "Where is he?"

"He's been out on your beach staring at the surf the last four hours."

"You can handle things in here?"

"Please! I got this. Go!" She turned and headed back into the kitchen.

…

It was a beautiful day out but windy and the surf was rough. Not always an easy ride for a surfer, but wondrous to watch and Steve walked out on the sand barefoot to the spot where Chin was sitting. Chin didn't acknowledge Steve as he sat down next to him. Steve stared out at the waves for a long moment. "You're the smartest one of all to be out here. It's a roller derby inside my house right now."

Chin's mouth twitched but he said nothing.

Steve nodded. "I owe you a big apology. I'm sorry, brah."

Chin shrugged but said nothing.

"I get it. A couple of words doesn't make up for a week's worth of abuse."

Chin sighed. "Last night when I was up in fields looking for Danny, I just kept thinking that if this goes bad, we're done forever. You'd never forgive me for keeping that information too close."

Steve looked down at the sand. "We can't do that, Chin. That's not how it ended. So the 'what ifs' can't be indulged, you know? We gotta move on."

"You think you would've forgiven me?"

"I don't know how to answer that. If we would've lost him again, we would've been gutted. I'm not sure if it would've mattered whose fault it was."

"You're right," Chin said. "It doesn't matter 'cause it didn't happen. We got lucky…again."

"I don't understand your head space right now. We got him back, Chin. For a moment, let's feel good about that, okay?"

Chin rubbed his forehead. "Yeah. I'm trying."

"What can I do? What do you need? How do I make this right?"

Chin frowned and looked at Steve. "Do you honestly think I am out here sulking 'cause you weren't nice to me?"

Steve worked his mouth. "Ah…no?"

Chin smiled. "Danny's right, you know. You are an emotional cripple, brah."

"Okay," he sighed. "Give me subtitles then 'cause I don't know what's happening."

"Steve, I think I know why Danny was targeted."

"Great! What do you got?"

"Danny was a distraction. We all have a soft spot for him. He's the anchor for our team- the emotional glue so to speak. Targeting him was a smart move because it left us reeling, unfocused- unable to see what was happening around us."

"Alright. What are we being distracted from?"

"What was happening on the streets this week? What was different?"

Steve closed his eyes. "Duke said that the streets were flooded with new product, and they couldn't get a handle on the distributor."

"Right. A new mysterious distributor."

"You think it's Waincroft?"

"I think he has decided to be a drug lord. Probably temporary. He gets bored fast, but think of the profit margin when the streets have been so recently cleansed of the old product after the latest busts. He comes in, throws some bad product on the street for big prices, cleans up, and moves on."

"His funds must be getting low."

Chin nodded. "He plays drug lord for a day, and then has funds for his next move."

"And we didn't put it together."

"DEA is probably hip deep in it, but we are the Waincroft connection. We could've added that layer. I am sure he was worried we would sense something so he made sure we were too distracted. We've had Danny on the brain this whole week."

"True."

The two of them sat silently for a time staring out at the surf when Chin spoke, "Steve, I have to take out Waincroft."

"Yeah. We have to get him. Put him away."

"You didn't hear me, Steve. I need to take him out. Not us. Not you. I need to take him out. Not get him. Not put him away. Take him out."

Steve took a deep breath. "I don't know where to start with that."

"He is my responsibility. He has been since the beginning. I have known him since he was a kid. I didn't do enough then, and I'm not doing enough now."

"We don't freelance on 5-0. You know that. If one of us does it, we all do it."

"Not this time, Steve. What I need to do is beyond 'full means and immunity' and you know that."

"Chin…no."

"He killed my father. He kidnapped Kono and almost killed her. He put a hit out on Danny. He's going to continue to rain down terror on us until he's dead. Imagine if it's Grace next. She was a part of this contract. Thank God, Sang got involved. Danny can't survive something like that, and it would destroy the rest of us as well. Gabriel is not above something like that. What will we say to each other if he does something like that?"

Steve frowned into the horizon. "We would never allow that."

Chin shook his head. "We have no control over him. None. Something has to be done. Gabriel is soulless."

"Doing something like this…you can't come back from it. It would change you forever."

Chin nodded. "I know."

For several minutes, neither man spoke. The wind was at its peak, and the waves rolled in loud and majestic. Then Steve leaned over, elbowing him gently. "I'm going to do it, Chin. Let me shoulder this. I've been trained for this."

Chin chuckled. "You know, Steve, this is the reason I'll put up with all of your crazy plans. Nobody is more willing to take a bullet for a friend than you."

"Then it's set. I'll do it."

"No, it's not set. I won't allow it."

"Chin, you and I are going to sit here until we iron out a plan. You got it, brah?"

Chin nodded. "Got it."

….

It was another couple of hours before they returned to the house, and Steve was unprepared for the change. The whole crew was in the living room huddled around his television, Danny flanked on the couch by the Aunties with his splinted foot elevated.

"I still don't understand anything anyone is saying," Kono said from a spot on the floor.

"The beauty of Manjalara is that it requires no language fluency of any kind. Everything is well telegraphed by music and facial features," Danny said gesturing at the screen.

"Exactly," Kamekona said nodding. "It is clear that the lady with the round face is in love with the man with the semi automatic."

"No, it is not," Danny persisted. "That is the drug lord who is feeding Bujang to the crocodile. Tembam is making eyes at him merely so she can save Bujang."

"Bujang is a pussy," Sang offered from his spot in a chair.

"Don't be snakehead!" Auntie Joon shot from her place next to Danny.

"I hate to agree with you bad nephew but this show stupid," Liang said.

"You stupid!" Auntie Joon countered.

"Nothing ever change," Liang said. "Drug lord been feeding that fool to crocodile for six weeks."

Auntie Joon nudged Danny with her elbow. "It happen today. See how close they are. They hold hands today."

He shook his head. "I think not, Auntie Joon."

"I prove it!" She paused the action, jumped up, and came back with a ruler that she planted on the TV screen between Bujang and Temban. "3 centimeters. It never this close before."

Danny sighed. "It's 3 centimeters because Steve's TV screen is much smaller than yours. Tembam's brother hasn't even left the café with his boys to mount a rescue. Today is not the day."

Auntie Liang cackled and then spotted Steve and Chin. "Garrett, you need bigger TV. You give too much hope to my heartsick friend, Joon."

Danny narrowed his eyes at Steve and Chin. "Kono, do you see what I see? Granted, I am on a fistful of Vicodin, but I definitely see a couple of thousand yard stares on our teammates."

Kono looked up. "Now, that you mention it…I see it too. I told you they were out there too long."

"I get the feeling you and I are like a couple of wives from WWII about to send their husbands off into battle."

"Me too. Funny thing though, I don't remember marrying either of these two mopes. My husband is sitting in Halawa."

Danny nodded at her. "That's good, Kono. Using East Coast vernacular. I taught you well."

Liang frowned at Joon. "Witch police girl is married to criminal. It explain a lot."

Kono threw her a glare. "Learn my name or the shed beckons for you, my dear Auntie."

A flash of fear suddenly appeared on the two Aunties' faces. Auntie Joon stuttered, "We mean nothing, young island sister."

Sang laughed. "Spicy, it is a pleasure to see you in action."

"Well, I'm glad you've all learned how to get along," Steve said, trying to avoid Danny's dark stare.

"Out!" Danny barked. "Aunties, Sang, Kamekona, you all need to repair to the lanai."

Joon frowned. "What wrong, haole boy?"

"My team needs to meet. I would not displace you from the house, Auntie, if it wasn't important, and, at the moment, I'm not very mobile."

"I'm not going," Sang said with arms folded. "This about to get good."

Kono was on her feet. "Out now! Unless you want to hit the ground head first."

The Aunties scrambled to their feet and went for the door, sneaking anxious looks at Kono as they passed.

Steve watched in amazement and then leaned over to Chin. "Did I know this about Kono?"

Danny waited until the sliding door closed and then he said, "So, what's the plan?"

Steve didn't meet his eyes. "Ah…Chin and I are going to flush him out, and take him down. We got a plan. It's a two-man job. You and Kono will hold down things here."

Kono and Danny exchanged pained looks. Then Kono shook her head. "Boss, it's a good thing you don't tell lies for a living 'cause you'd need a second income."

"It's exactly the truth, Cuz," Chin said.

Danny narrowed his eyes. "They are protecting us. Why?"

"Because they are about to do something that flies in the face of what 5-0 stands for."

"Brilliant and beautiful," Danny said tightly. "That's a lethal combination, Kono. No wonder the Aunties obey you so well."

"He has to be taken out," Chin said. "We have all killed before."

Danny nodded. "Very true. We've killed in the service of the good citizens of Hawaii."

"Very noble, Danny," Steve snorted as he grabbed a seat across from him. "But you know as well as I do that sometimes our motives have not been so generous."

"Of course. You're speaking of revenge."

Steve nodded. "Wo Fat."

"For me, it was Delano," Chin said softly.

"And for me, it was Reyes, minutes after I learned he killed my brother."

"None of us are immune to the impulse," Kono said as she settled in next to Danny.

"No, we are not," Danny said. "But it is a dangerous one. I spent months agonizing over what I did. I signed a deal that landed me in a Columbian prison over the guilt from my actions."

Steve leaned forward. "That's not going to happen this time, Danny. We can handle this."

"No, you can't!" Danny exploded. "You think this is revenge, but it's not. Revenge is looking in the face of the man who killed your brother, finding no remorse, and putting a bullet between his eyes. Revenge is a bad thing that leaves an ugly stain, but you're not just contemplating revenge, you're planning an assassination. That's on a whole other level of soul crushing behavior."

"Danny, he put the contract out on Grace as well, you know."

"Don't you dare mention her name in this conversation!" He shouted at Steve, and then grabbed his bandaged torso from the exertion. Kono leaned over to steady him. Danny's eyes watered and he pointed a shaky finger at Steve. "If he wants my children, I will take them and disappear before I allow any of you to cross the line that separates us from the people we hunt. I will do that to protect my children and to protect you!"

"Danny, please," Kono said softly. "You need to relax. The doc said that one strong kick to the chest could kill you. You've got four cracked ribs."

"Don't tell me to relax," he said trying to control the emotion on his face.

"It's that bad?" Steve said looking at Kono.

She nodded. "The chest x-rays were bad."

Steve got up. "Chin, we better go."

Chin put his hand on Danny's good leg. "Hey brah, it's going to be okay. I promise. Nobody is going to lose themselves. We're doing the right thing. Gabriel is my responsibility."

Danny looked away, blinking at red eyes.

Steve stood at the door, looking lost. He started toward Danny, but then he stopped. "Kono, you gotta take care of him. Please. You gotta help him know that we're doing this for the right reasons."

"I have no idea what you think you're doing," she said in a low voice.

"We're protecting our ohana, Kono. Never forget that." Steve said before he slipped out the door after Chin.

….

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I have some apologies to make. I don't like reading unfinished stories, and I don't like writing them. My life has gotten busy in ways that are professionally satisfying, and I think fanfiction is finding a different place in my life. Plus, I discovered Supernatural this summer, and fell into the black hole which is Sam and Dean.

However, this story got some lovely support, and a couple of weeks ago, I got a charming message from 1814bealla asking me in a very effective way to finish the story. The ending comes in two parts. Chapter 8 happens today. The final piece comes in two weeks. I will find a way to make it happen. Thank you, Sheila

Auntie

Chapter 8

"Monkey, stop crying. It's going to be okay," Danny said as he was hunched over the laptop staring at a Skype screen. Kono, Kamekona, Max, Sang, and the Aunties flanked him, unapologetic voyeurs to the reunion with his children. "As you can see, I'm in good hands and I'm feeling great."

" _You don't look great_!" the screen wailed.

"Just some bruises, sweetie. I promise."

" _Who did this to you? Did you get him_?"

Danny took a moment to turn his head and scowl at Sang. "Yeah, we got him, Monkey. This is not going to happen again. I promise. Grace, tell your brother to stop licking the wall."

There was a short interruption while she corralled the four year old and then she peered into the screen again. " _He only does it because you got him that lizard and told him that lizards smell with their tongue_."

Danny shook his head. "Charlie, listen to me. You are a not a lizard. Your tongue doesn't smell. Keep it in your mouth, buddy. Okay?"

The cute Danny-like face cocked his head. " _Lizards eat bugs. I want to eat bugs_. _Nothing but bugs_."

Danny stared at the screen. "I have literally no response to that. Monkey, tell your mother to keep him away from bugs until we are able to reprogram him."

Grace rolled her eyes. " _He's so annoying_."

"Actually, the word, demented, comes to mind, but luckily your step-dad can afford the best therapists so we'll work it out."

" _Where's Uncle Steve_?"

Danny sighed. "Doing Uncle Steve things which is the reason this call needs to be short. I need to talk to Uncle Joe and Uncle Grover."

" _Does that mean we have to stay on the ship a little longer_?"

"Monkey, I am so sorry. Just a little longer."

She smiled. " _It's okay, Danno. I understand_."

"You do?"

She shrugged. " _You can't help it. Just get the bad guys. It's okay if it takes a little time."_

Danny nodded. "You couldn't be a better kid, Grace. Now, do me a favor and find Grover. Love you monkey."

She disappeared, leaving Charlie smiling sweetly at him. Danny leaned into the screen. "Buddy, remember our deal about your sister?"

Charlie nodded.

"Okay. Has she gotten access to a phone?"

He shook his head. " _Uncle Grova' took them awl_."

"Okay, buddy, tell me what she's doing then."

Charlie blinked. " _Um, she's emai-wing on the computer_."

"She can't email off ship 'cause the ship is on lockdown so she's emailing someone on board."

Charlie was looking like he wanted to put his tongue on the keyboard. "Charlie, don't even think about it."

The little boy looked up, startled.

"Who is she talking to on the ship, buddy?"

" _Um, she yikes the sai-wor that makes us pancakes in the morning. It's a secwet_."

"You're my guy, Charlie. Never forget that."

" _This ship has no bugs_."

"For which we are very grateful. People do not eat bugs."

"Not true, haole boy. Crickets good food fried. I make for you," Auntie Joon said tapping him on the shoulder.

"Not helping, Auntie," he replied tightly.

" _I want bugs_ ," Charlie insisted.

Before Danny could respond, Charlie disappeared, replaced by Joe and Grover. " _Hey Danny, it is damn good to see you!"_

Danny blushed. "You guys too. I can't tell you what it means to me taking care of my family like you did."

" _It's been fun_ ," Grover said.

Joe laughed. " _He's like a kid in a candy store. He wants to see everything_."

"Yeah, well, we got work."

" _We're ready_."

"First, I am 100% sure my daughter is speaking to a sailor on that ship, and I need somebody to find him, rip his face off, and then throw him in the brig. She just turned 13 years old!"

Grover frowned. _"Are you sure?"_

"She emailing him probably when she's supposed to be doing homework, and Charlie says he is the sailor who makes pancakes for them in the morning."

" _On it_ ," Grover growled. " _I've been there, bruddah_."

Joe leaned in. " _What's the other thing, Danny_?"

Danny took a deep breath. "The seal has escaped, and he's headed to the shark tank. I don't have the resources needed to net him and get him back."

Joe scanned the group behind him. " _Where's Chin?"_

"With the seal." Danny didn't say more, and it was clear that he wouldn't use any sort of technology to share details. "Just get your butts off that boat and get back here."

" _Hell, Danny, we're halfway to Okinawa. We're not within helo range anymore."_

"You're a resourceful guy, Joe. Find a lifeboat and start paddling."

" _I hear you. We'll make it happen, Danny_."

Danny sighed. "Thanks. Just do me a favor and jail the pancake predator before you go."

….

Chin headed into the alley, gun drawn. His target was at the chain link fence at the end of the alley trying to scramble up and over. Steve McGarrett dove for a leg and yanked hard. The man, a large Samoan fell backward onto the concrete. Steve managed to avoid him, and stood to the side while the perp lay flat on his back and groaned. "I think you broke my back."

"Doubt it, Momo," Steve said flatly.

"I want my lawyer."

"Why?" Asked Chin as he sauntered up. "We're not arresting you for anything."

Momo raised. "Then what do you want from me?"

"We want to talk to Waincroft."

He shook his head. "That don't got nothing to do wit' me. I ain't no appointment secretary."

"Really? I think he looks like an appointment secretary, don't you, Chin?"

Chin looked down at the sweaty, overweight man in board shorts and 4XL tank top. "I think he looks like an escapee from SeaWorld."

"Come on! I need a hospital."

Steve knelt beside him. "Okay, Momo, we'll call a bus for you, but, first, you need to get a message to Waincroft."

"I don't got no way to reach him," Momo insisted.

Chin shrugged. "Well, Steve, it seems as if Momo can't help us."

"Yeah," Steve nodded. "Momo, our apologies. You take care, brah."

Chin and Steve started back down the alley.

"Hey! You calling for help, right?"

Neithor of them responded.

"Hey! I need help. I got a broken something, Man. I can feel it."

Steve and Chin kept walking.

"Don't nobody come down this alley! It could be hours before someone finds me. It hurts like a son of a bitch!"

Chin and Steve turned out of the alley.

"Hey man! Please! I can get a message to Gabriel! Please man! I'm dying here!"

They appeared again, trotting down the alley until they got to Momo. Steve peered down at him. "You tell Waincroft we know what he did, and Chin wants a meet."

"Be more specific, man. He's going to want details."

Chin shook his head. "No details. Remind him that I knew him as a boy, and he owes me a meet. We have to find a way to coexist on this island."

"Man, he ain't going to believe none of that. That's nothing but a trap."

"Tell him we meet up at the head of the trail to Kaikalani peak. We both know it. It's going to impossible for either of us to set up a trap. You can see at least 2 miles in any direction. He determines the time. I'll wait for your call, Momo."

"I'm going to need surgery, man. On morphine. Leave me out of this."

Steve sighed. "Shut up, Momo. You can raise your damn head. Worst thing you sustained was a dislocated disk or a broken vertebrae. Let this be a wake-up call, man. Join Weight Watchers. Go to AA. Go to NA. Read a book. Go to church. Be the change you want to see in the world."

Chin chuckled. "That was good, Steve. You'd be an excellent therapist."

"Couples therapy has been wearing off on me," He said as he dialed 911.

…

"A palace coup!" Jerry exclaimed in wonder. "I never thought it possible."

"It's not a coup, Jerry," Kono said from her perch on Danny's chair.

"But you want us to go rogue on a mission without involving without our bruddahs," Kamekona said with eyes narrowed.

"It's a side project," Danny said. "Think of it like a birthday surprise."

"Commander McGarrett's birthday isn't for another five months," Max said.

Kamekona cocked his head at Max. "How would you know that?"

"We were BFF's for a short but wonderful time, and I wanted to make sure I covered all of the best friend duties."

Danny rolled his eyes. "This is insane, Kono. I told you that you and I could work this out ourselves."

She shook her head. "You can't even walk, Danny."

"This whole thing got me curious," Sang said stroking the few hairs that made up a goatee. "I have been…involved in a few regime changes in my time, and this doesn't feel right."

"Yes," Danny threw his hands up. "Because we're not overthrowing anyone."

"Usually, you go about a thing like this from a standpoint of power. You know, you have to have enough resources to be able to go to the mattresses as the Godfather would say. You don't strike me as being in a position of strength right now all banged up like you are."

"And how did that happen?" Danny glared.

"Yeah," Kamekona said shaking his head. "I don't see it. Danny, you really need to recover before you take on McGarrett. Get your soldiers in line."

"Exactly!" Sang pointed enthusiastically. "And how do you know that we'll run with you? Maybe, we like the color of McGarrett's money better. By the way, what is our cut?"

"You run with haole boy," Auntie Joon said sharply to Sang as she patted Danny's arm. "He like you brother now."

Danny squeezed his eyes shut. "Herding cats is what this is, Kono. In fact, I would prefer that. Bring me cats."

"Thinking the same thing," she said rolling her eyes.

Danny sighed. "Let's try this again from the beginning. There is no palace coup, overthrow, takeover, or regime change. Steve and Chin have decided not to involve us in their mission, and so we don't want to involve them in ours."

"What are they up to?" Jerry leaned forward.

"The details are not important. Suffice it to say that Kono and I don't agree with their methods."

Jerry's eyes brightened. "They've gone rogue and we're going to save them from themselves."

Kono sighed. "Something like that."

"A noble endeavor," Max said clapping his hands.

"What's our cut?" Sang stood, arms folded.

"How about I don't arrest you for attempted murder of a police officer and make sure you're in a mainland Supermax by Christmas," Danny growled.

"Hey, Man, I'm just asking."

Auntie Joon leaned over to Danny's ear. "Treat him like brother. He learn from you."

Danny chortled. "That ship has sailed, Auntie. I promise you."

She frowned. "Why we talk about ships? I no like ships."

"It's an expression."

Auntie Joon shook her head and clapped her hands. "Meeting over! Manjalara on in ten minutes. Bujang and Tembam hold hands today!"

Everyone groaned.

"I'm sorry, Auntie, but my money is on the crocodile. Tembam's brother and his boys are still drinking tea in the café," said Kamekona.

Liang pointed. "Fat man right. Dumbest soap in history of world."

"I hate you, witch lady," Joon spit back at her.

"Auntie," Danny said gently. "Why don't you and Liang go to the kitchen and make some snacks and drinks? Oh, and remember the tape measure so we can see how close they get today."

She clapped her hands. "Today is day. I feel it!"

Danny waited until she and Liang had left. "So, we're going at this from a different angle. Let's kill Gabriel's money source and see what happens to him."

"Now you thinking like a real criminal, but that plan got problems," Sang shook his head. "They probably got a warehouse somewhere with twenty guards armed for the end of days. No way we can steal all that powder."

Kono smiled. "We aren't going to steal anything. Just need a location. All we need to do is find the warehouse."

Sang's eyes widened. Come on, Spicy. This is an economic opportunity. It would be a shame not to profit a little bit."

She shook her head.

"You cold, Spicy."

She cocked her head. "You still a snakehead like Auntie says?"

He took a deep breath and looked away. "I got some contacts. The entrepreneurs over here do too."

Kamekona and Flippa nodded. "We need toys. GPS. Surveillance equipment. Jerry, you working for us now."

"Story of my life," Jerry groaned. He got up out of his chair and the rest of them trailed behind him barking orders on the electronics they wanted.

Kono looked at Danny. "We need to keep someone on the house here to keep you safe."

"I don't need it. If Waincroft knows I'm alive, he doesn't care. Leave me with a piece and my Aunties. They are better at sniffing out danger than a couple of German Shepherds."

"I don't think so, Brah."

He shook his head. "You have to ride herd over these guys. You can only really do that from the office."

"Then you're coming along too." She had hands on her hips.

"Can't," he said. "Bujang and Tembam might hold hands today."

She gave him a look.

"What? Nobody's showing up at the McGarrett estate to make trouble. It would be a world of hurt for anyone who tried. I'm fine."

"Nobody would ever forgive me," she said softly.

He reached for her hand. "We're doing this to save the team, Kono. Never forget that."

…

Danny propelled himself from the sliding glass door to the wall, and he pulled his bad leg along until he got to the grass. The Aunties could've helped, but he was tired of the fussing. Manjalara had been particularly slow, and even Auntie Joon was disheartened with the lack of progress bringing Tembam together with Bujang. She had retired to the kitchen for a game of Mahjong with Liang.

Danny hit the grass and found it harder to navigate than he thought. The pain meds didn't help his ability to balance on the uneven soil, and he landed with a thud on his knees. The explosion of pain in his chest and leg felt like white heat, and, for a moment, all he could do is grit his teeth until he could see clearly again.

He focused on the Adirondack chair looking out on the ocean, and slowly began inching toward it. That simple, weather worn wooden chair represented a paradise of sorts. He was going to crawl into it and stare out into the ocean until every angle of this thing was clear to him.

He was reaching for another thatch of stiff Hawaiian grass when a shadow appeared and then a strong arm hooked him around the middle and pulled him upright. A familiar voice growled into his ear. "What in God's name are you doing?"

Danny thrashed in his grip. "I thought you were off selling your soul to the devil."

Steve hooked his shoulder under Danny's arm and moved him to the chair. "The devil isn't taking our calls today. Again, what is the hell is going on? The house is deserted save two old ladies telling me to stay out of my own kitchen."

Danny settled into the chair and closed his eyes waiting for his damaged body to stop protesting. "They have lives, Steve. I told them all to go home."

Steve sat down next to him. "Seriously? And when I hunt down their asses, they are going to back that up?"

Danny sighed. "We're looking for his distribution center."

"Smart idea."

"Smarter than assassinating him."

Steve snorted. "I don't think so. You want to burn down his lemonade stand, you go right ahead. I want him off this island for good."

"I'm taking too many pain meds to argue with you."

"It'll be okay, Danny."

"No, it won't," he shook his head. "Even when we are like them for only the briefest of moments, it lives in us, and it grows like a cancer."

"It'll be my bullet, my choice."

"But I'll know about it. And it will be like Reyes all over again and everyone else we took vengeance on. Think about what it will do to Chin? Have you thought about that? He can't ever erase the fact that he knew him as a kid."

"Chin's idea."

"He's falling on his sword. Even a Neanderthal should be able to see that."

Steve reached over and put a hand on his arm. "You are an immense pain in my posterior. You know that, right?"

Danny grinned. "I always figured you for a bottom."

Steve threw back his head and laughed. "How is it that you are simultaneously the angel and devil on my shoulders? How do I rid myself of you?"

"Any good Catholic will tell you it takes a rogue priest and a lot of holy water."

"It's going to be okay, Danny."

"Stop saying that," Danny said pulling away from the hand still settled on his arm.

Steve took a deep breath. "The difference between you and me, brah, is that you imagined what we went through when we thought you were dead, it's not the same as going through it. Promised to never tell you this, but Grace got so bad that she had to stay sedated. She overheard that she could be a target and she stole Stan's gun and put it under her pillow."

Danny looked like he was holding his breath, and when he let go, a strangled sound erupted. "Oh God, I am so sorry, Grace."

"Sorry. Shouldn't have done that."

He squeezed his eyes closed. "None of this is fair to her. It never has been and it never will be."

"She's going to be okay. Remember, I was a cop's kid."

Danny's eyes popped open. "That's not a comforting though at all, you! Look at how you turned out!"

"This will be on me. My finger on the trigger. I'll carry this."

"Just shut up. Okay?"

Steve let out a deep sigh. "I'm doing this for you, Danny."

Danny stayed focused on the waves rolling into shore. "There's a price with the kind of reasoning you're using. There is no way you carry this on your own. This belongs to all of us, and we won't see the consequences today, but one day it'll come back to haunt us."

Steve squinted off into the distance. "Let's not fight, okay? I really don't want to fight with you."

"Me neither." Danny's eyes watered. "Thank God you were there for Grace."

"She's family, brah. She always will be."

Danny nodded and returned to staring out on the horizon. The two of them sat like that for a long time, and then Steve's phone buzzed. He picked it up and sighed. "The devil wants to meet with Chin."

Danny sighed and licked his lips. "Come back in one piece. You hear? Both of you."

Steve patted Danny on the shoulder and took off for his truck. Danny rubbed his hand across his mouth, but didn't turn to watch him leave.

"It not good for you to sit out in sun like this. You get pink and I make beetle salve for you skin. "

He turned to see Aunties Joon and Liang. "You're right. I'll go sit on the lanai under the canopy."

"Good boy," she nodded.

He stared past her for a moment. "You remember the first episode of Manjalara you ever showed me- the one where Bujang was captured by the drug lord? You remember how he got snagged?"

She nodded.

"Let's pull that fishing net out of Steve's basement. You know the one that you said was too big for surf netting. Oh, and grab a bunch of his fishing line, okay?"

Liang smiled. "We be bad asses today and bury Gabriel in pineapple field."

"What is it with you and pineapple fields!" He said as he leaned on Auntie Joon and struggled to his feet.


	9. Chapter 9

17

Author's Note: This is literally years overdue. But I am finishing for three reasons. First, it is the first day of the new year and I wanted something I didn't have to worry about anymore. Second, I still get reviews on this little dramedy. Third, a lovely young person named 1814bealla or Beth has persistently and sweetly asked me to finish it and I could no longer disappoint her. I don't know why it took so long. I go in and out of finding my muse. I have also gotten really disappointed in the show although I pray its remaining episodes are good. I sincerely apologize to those of you who had an interrupted ride with this story. The last chapter is unexpected. I hope it meets expectations. Sheila

Auntie

Chapter 9

….

Chin sat on a concrete ledge at the highest point in Oahu looking over the best of what the island had to offer. There was a strong wind, and, for a moment, it took him back to that late afternoon ten days ago when they had looked over the cliff at Danny's mangled car. A lot had happened in that time. Chin had slept in his own bed maybe twice, and never for more than 4 hours at a stretch.

The dread he'd anticipated over this final showdown was overshadowed by an unexpected feeling of relief. Whatever the outcome, he wanted an end to Gabriel's reign of terror. Thoughts of the boy he was or the potential he once had were secondary to the man he'd become.

" _Chin, you hear me_?"

Chin nodded imperceptibly. He had no doubt that Gabriel had his people staking out the area.

" _You ready, brah_?"

Chin nodded again.

" _Me too. I just wish it was Kono behind the scope instead of me. I've never seen a hand as steady as hers."_

Chin allowed himself the whisper of a smile. Kono was the most talented of them all. If Steve ever lived long enough to retire, he could picture her taking over.

" _Just remember that the bullet is mine. I carry this for all of us."_

Chin wanted to tell McGarrett to shut up already about carrying the weight for everyone. No amount of rationalization was going to release each of them from their particular role in this act.

The large black SUV sounded on the volcanic gravel, but Chin didn't turn. Facing Waincroft was going to take every ounce of his concentration. The vehicle stopped and he heard his name. He didn't turn. Part of him wanted to pretend that Waincroft was still a bright, misguided kid- the kind of kid who could change the world with just the right guidance.

"Where is the sniper, Chin?"

Not a muscle moved in his face. His gaze stayed on the sapphire blue horizon. Gabriel stopped beside him and pointed to a distant shore. "We used to ride that water over there. Remember?"

"That was a million years ago, Waincroft."

"Am I in position yet for your sniper?"

Chin chortled. "Why did you come if you thought I was going to take you out?"

"It wasn't personal, brah. Taking out Williams was the distraction I needed in order to establish my trade. I went a bridge too far. I see that now. Let's truce this bitch and go back to our lives."

Chin turned on him, eyes blazing. "I don't need a sniper! I will kill you with my bare hands! There's no truce. Ever. You soulless son of a bitch!"

Gabriel threw back his head and laughed. "You're standing too close to me, brah, and there's a wind. Even your beautiful cousin wouldn't risk a shot right now. You could get hit."

"Why did you even come?"

Gabriel shrugged. "Like I said, I just wanted to explain."

Then he grabbed Chin by the front of his shirt, but as Chin grabbed him back, he felt the steel of a sharp blade against his neck. "Just walk me to my car, brah. That's all I need."

Gabriel breathed into his neck as he walked him toward the SUV. "I don't blame you, ya know. I would do the same."

Gabriel opened the car door, and pushed Chin away. A glock appeared from the darkness of the car's interior pointed at Chin's face. Gabriel shook his head. "The problem with you is that you don't remember the old days. I miss my big brah."

Chin backed up slowly. "I didn't forget anything. That boy went away and you showed up in his place. One of the biggest tragedies of my life."

The door closed and as the SUV sped off, bullets sprayed the ground the vehicle. Still, it wasn't enough and it disappeared in a cloud of gravel dust.

" _You all right, Chin!"_ Exploded into his earpiece.

Chin shook his head and looked up at the hill. "The two of us are worst assassins in the history of murder."

" _Just get in the car and come get me. Gabriel is rattled. Who the hell knows what's coming next."_

….

"This is crazy, Spicy," Sang yelled from the back of the helicopter.

Kono ignored him and turned to Kamekona. "This intel better be good. If we blow up a pineapple warehouse, there's going to be trouble."

"For you, sister," he clarified. "I am here under duress. If it goes bad, I'm going to say you commandeered my sky ride."

"Always got a sister's back, don't ya."

"I'm a businessman. Protecting the brand is job #1. You sure they aren't going to hit us with gun fire. My baby is delicate."

"You take us down quick. We drop the explosives and then you get us the hell out of here. Simple plan."

"Yeah. Too simple," Kamekona sighed.

Kono turned to the back. "You guys ready?"

Sang shook his head. "These homemade devices aren't going to take out a warehouse this big."

"We just need enough to start a fire. These old warehouses are tinderboxes. Winds coming off the west are at 22 miles per hour."

"You hardcore, Spicy. God help the criminal element if you ever take over 5-0."

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Kono said pointing at the looming warehouse. "On the count of three, you start dropping the cocktails. Once Sang drops four, you get this bird up and out of here fast."

Kamekona's eyes widened. "I see guns."

Two men were on the roof of the warehouse pointing semiautomatics at them. At first, it just looked like they were pointing them. Then a ping sounded and another.

"They're hurting my baby!"

"Steady big guy!" Kono turned to Sang. "On my count. You got it?"

"You so sexy hot right now!" He grinned.

All of a sudden, she jerked and grunted.

"Spicy?" Sang's eyes widened.

There was a red stain growing on the upper left side of her chest. Kono dropped against the seat and covered her chest with her right hand.

"Fat man! She hit!"

Kamekona turned his head. "We getting out of here!"

"No!" She shouted. "You stay on course! On my count!"

With a grimace, she turned her head toward the warehouse. "One! Two! Three! Now! Now! Now!"

Sang started dropping cocktails. The pings kept coming.

"I'm outa' here!" Kamekona yelled. "You getting a bill for this, sista'!"

Kono groaned.

"Sista? She okay, Min?"

Sang was shirtless, pressing his balled up tee over the hand on her wound. "Get out of here, big man. Go!"

Neither man looked back at the warehouse as swirls of smoke started rising up from various points of the roof."

…..

Kamekona's island hopper landed on top of Honolulu General in a spot reserved for much smaller medical choppers. It had taken a lot of screaming at air traffic control to get permission until Sang Min found the good sense to call McGarrett. Nobody bypassed authority better than the head of 5-O. Chin was already on the roof when Kamekona landed the beast. Kono wasn't conscious and the air coming out of her mouth sounded like a bad engine. Chin couldn't get to her. A team of doctors and nurses swarmed her, got her on a gurney, and disappeared down an elevator. Chin grabbed Sang Min by the shirt and started yelling at him but the blades of the helicopter made communication impossible. Then Steve appeared on the tarmac and pushed both men into an elevator.

Sang sagged against the wall, blood staining shirt and pants. Instead of attacking again, Chin leaned over, hands on his knees as if he wanted to puke. Steve stood between them. "Tell us what happened."

Sang sighed. "We dropped cocktails on his warehouse. His guys were already on the roof. Thought they wouldn't be so sharp."

Steve slapped stop on the elevator door. "Of course they're sharp! Look who they are working for!"

"Spi- Kono ran the operation like a pro. She wouldn't let us peel even after she got hit. Made us drop our load. Then we headed straight here. Hey man, it was a lucky shot."

Still hunched over, Chin shook his head. "I swear to God that if she doesn't come out of this, I will kill you."

"Sure. It make you feel good maybe, but you gotta know it wasn't my idea."

Steve blew out air. "Agitating Gabriel. Sounds like a Danny move. No one can get under someone's skin like my partner."

Chin stood shakily and Sang stared him down. "You and me doing to dance?"

Chin looked at Steve. "Just get me down there to see her."

…..

Chin Ho and Kono's relatives littered the waiting room. When the doctor came out of trauma, at least 10 people launched themselves out of chairs to greet him alongside Chin. Steve stayed seat. He was ohana but he respected that it was different than being someone who watched who had watched her grow from a little girl with scrapped knees to the beautiful woman on his team. He watched the faces, particularly Chin's. He saw shoulders relax and hugs, and then Chin look his direction for a moment. The fear on his friend's face was draining and Steve closed his eyes.

"How long you think Gabriel going to be occupied with a burned out warehouse?"

Steve turned to Sang and stared. "He…uh, comes for Chin or Kono. We'll put SWAT all over this floor."

Sang shook his head. "I know to think like snake. He want his day with Chin, no doubt. But right now, he has an itch. This whole thing started to keep you distracted so he could move product. Now, he lost everything. Even worse, he got an unfinished job out there."

Steve blinked. "Danny?"

"It make him look bad- like he don't know how to get a job done. He gonna lose a lot of cred over this."

Steve winced. "We left him alone with no one to protect him but a couple of old women."

Sang got up. "Listen, my auntie no joke. She survived the Cultural Revolution. Still, I'm going over there to grab her and her witch friend and pull them out of line of fire."

The fear that had faded only moments ago when he saw the relief on Chin's face came back like a hurricane and he pulled Sang along with him.

….

Danny had to threaten them a number of times to stay out of the way. He was executing the dumbest of all plans, but it felt right in his stubborn Irish Jersey gut. He'd refused any more pain meds, and aching had turned to agony. Still, he sat on the lawn chair out on the lanai watching the surf. He blinked at the orange sun setting in the distance and worried that this showdown was going to happen in the dark. Yet, he waited.

The ethics of putting down Gabriel didn't bother him as much as it should. He'd taken Reyes out, and, other than the occasional nightmare, he generally believed his soul was still intact. It did leave a blackness in him, and he was aware that he was aware that killing Gabriel would deepen that darkness in a way that would probably make it impossible for him to continue as a cop.

It should've been easier to support Chin and Steve, and yet, he'd balked. He argued with Steve, throwing out moral platitudes that he wasn't sure he believed. It was the moment that Steve said he was going to assassinate Gabriel for Danny that settled the issue. The Seal had always made sacrifices for him, pushed him out of the way, went first through the door- all sorts of hero behavior. Danny knew he did it because he was hardwired for it. The arrogance of being a Navy Seal left the man certain he could handle any and all dangerous situations. Yet, there was more. Danny knew he was the only one with access to the inner workings of Steve McGarrett. He was ohana in a way that no one else could touch. He also knew that Steve loved him and the kids fiercely, and, that somewhere along the line, had decided that he would sacrifice all to keep them safe.

Danny appreciated all of that, but the piece that Steve failed to grasp was that Danny felt just as protective of Steve. He'd spent the last three weeks trying to make sense of the world's weirdest kidnapping, but that was nothing compared to the strain he saw on his friends' faces when he was recovered- especially Steve's. To say that the man had suffered was to completely understate the depth of his friend's pain. He looked like he'd aged ten years. Danny's body might not be ready for action but he was still capable of bringing the action home.

He heard rustling in the bushes, and his gut seized but he stayed still, waiting. The sun was dipping below the horizon giving them only the last half hour of dusk to make this work.

Danny felt no relief when Gabriel came into view with no weapon. He probably planned to beat him to death, and there wasn't much Danny could do to stop him.

Gabriel folded his hands in front of him and shook his head. "Did you even wonder why they haven't returned home yet?"

Danny narrowed his eyes. Injuries and lingering pain meds in his system had left him only able to focus on one thing. Thoughts of when friends would return had been secondary.

"You scored a win, Williams. You burnt up my product. Good for you. But there was a glitch. My men were ready. Kono took one to the chest. My sources tell me it doesn't look good."

"You're lying."

Gabriel spread his arms. "Well, where's the gang? They hit the warehouse four hours ago, and before that, my own brother-in-law tried to pull off the world's clumsiest assassination. Why did they leave their flank exposed? Maybe, they're too distracted hoping she comes out of surgery alive."

Danny's face reddened. It all made too much sense.

Gabriel shrugged. "By the time they get back, I'll have broken every remaining intact bone in your body. But we'll stop from time to time so you can really experience it. Sound good?"

Danny closed his eyes. These ideas were messing with him. Success had everything to do with timing. He only had a second and it had to be the right one.

"Let's have some fun." Gabriel came at him, and Danny reached under his chair and pulled hard. Rope and fish netting leapt out of the sand, scooping Gabriel up and dangling him from the roof of the lanai. Gabriel started yelling.

Danny blinked. It had been a wild idea at best. He hadn't really imagined that it would work. He remembered himself and yelled, "Aunties!"

Aunties Joon and Liang appeared from the basement. Auntie Joon laughed. "Just like in Manjalara when drug lord steal Bunjang. Good plan, haole boy!"

"Shut him up!" Danny yelled.

Liang had already grabbed a canoe paddle and started whacking at Gabriel like he was a piñata.

"Don't break the netting! Be careful!"

The third whack caught Gabriel on the side of his head and he went quiet.

Auntie Joon looked at him. "What now, Danielle?"

Danny stared at the swinging bundle. "Bring me the gun they left for us."

She looked at him with wizened brown eyes. "You sure?"

He nodded.

Joon signaled to Liane who disappeared in the house. Moans sounded from the bundle and Gabriel's eyes opened again the thick fish netting. He regarded Danny. "Wasn't expecting that."

"I didn't think it would work, honestly."

"My guys are waiting for me. They are going to be here any second. You hurt me and they'll take you and those two old birds apart limb by limb."

Danny looked at Joon, but there was no fear on her face. "We got nothing to lose, Gabriel."

Gabriel scoffed. "Easier than shooting fish in a barrel. I'm helpless. You willing to live with that?"

Danny swallowed. "Let's face it. You haven't been helpless since you were in diapers."

Liang came back with the gun and handed it to Danny.

"Okay. So do it. Shoot me." Gabriel stared at him through the netting. "Murder me."

Danny's eyes stung. He wasn't prepared for that. He turned to the women. "Aunties, go inside."

Joon shook her head. "Not leaving you, Danielle."

"Witnesses are no good. Leave."

"We say nothing to nobody," Liang said darkly.

"Go!" He kept his eyes on Gabriel.

Gabriel chuckled. "You can't do it. You don't have the guts. I love this. You'll call it some kind of moral compass, but the truth is that you got no cojones Williams."

Danny took a deep breath and leveled the gun. "I got enough balls to do what needs doing."

"What we talk about," Liang said sharply to Joon.

"You right. It too much for him," Joon replied.

Danny swung his head. "I want the two of you out of here now!"

"I hear something," Auntie Liang said.

"Garrett coming home for sure," Joon added.

Gabriel smiled. "I guess I got a little time coming for me in a Supermax. But just know that I'm not going to be there long."

Danny stopped but couldn't hear anything. His still concussed brain couldn't process all of the complications. It didn't take much for Joon and Liane to grab his wrist and wrestle the gun away. Joon pulled it from Liang and, in one fluid movement, raised it and emptied the clip into Gabriel.

…

In the twenty minutes that followed, the two women laid plastic on the concrete to catch the steady flow of blood that emptied out of a dead Gabriel Waincroft and then argued about how to cut him down. Liang, of course, was in favor of burying him in a pineapple field. The fight settled into their native tongue, and Danny stopped asking for a translation. On the ground, lay the gun. There were so many considerations. As an officer of the court, protocol popped into his head and he mumbled things about not touching the weapon and preserving the crime scene. But this was different, and he wasn't sure he was capable of being that man anymore. He carefully slid off the chair, struggling to ignore the pain from his broken ribs and ankle. He lay on his side and grabbed the gun. It felt important that he touch it in as many places as possible.

"Danielle! What you do!" Joon scurried out and helped him sit up. She tried to help him back into the chair but he shook his head and settled against the wall. He pointed to the chair and she sat.

Liang walked out and put her hands on hips. "We have to bury him now!"

"Stop," he said. "Stop. We've gone as far as we're going to go with this."

There was something about the quality in his voice that got their attention and Liang sat down next to Joon. "Why you worry Danielle?"

Danny sat staring at the gun in his lap. "You did what I couldn't do. It's not right. It was my fight. I should've finished it. I've put you at risk, Auntie, and I am so sorry."

Liang shook her head. "We know this is to be a problem. We discuss it together. We just know you work to protect, not to hurt. This is not job for you. You have to know that we not monsters, haole. Joon and I don't come to Hawaii from our home many year ago because we don't like China. We saw many things. Sometimes, we had to do bad things to survive. We know that price. We know how to live those memory. Wainwright always a bad man. There is no peace when he breathe."

"Okay," Danny nodded. "So, I protect. And I'm going to protect you now. Auntie, you told me once that police get to shoot people and not go to jail. So…since that's true…I shot him. Just me. When you came out, he was already dead. You understand?"

She shook her head. "No good. His people come for you. That bad for you."

Danny shook his head. "I have a feeling that Gabriel didn't engender much loyalty. I don't think anyone will care that he's dead."

Liang rolled her eyes. "Gendered? I hate when you talk foreign."

"I not have shame, Danielle," Joon said, glaring at him. "I tell the rooftops."

"No," he shook his head. "That's not our story."

"Is this for real?"

All heads turned to find Steve and Sang in the doorway to the lanai.

"I shot him," Danny said.

"No, I shoot him," Liang said as she got up and grabbed for the gun in Danny's lap. He wrestled with her as she yelled, "My print everywhere!"

"I shoot him," Joon said, still sitting in her chair. "I not sorry either."

"Shut up, Auntie," Sang said, eyes blazing. "Both of you need to shut your mouths."

Danny shut his eyes. "Take them inside please."

Sang herded them through the door.

Steve felt an exhaustion overwhelm him and he sat on the concrete beside Danny. "You okay?"

"No."

Steve stared at the gruesome sight of Gabriel Wainwright dangling from his lanai. "Did you get this idea from a Tarzan movie?"

"Manjalara."

"Ahh," Steve said nodding. "Of course."

"Fish in a barrel. Not exactly an imminent threat."

"Just shut up for a little bit. Okay?"

Danny narrowed his eyes. "I should be feeling something."

"How about relief that Grace and Charlie aren't at risk anymore? Or Kono? Or Chin?"

Danny's breath hitched. "Is it true about Kono?"

Steve put a hand on his arm. "She's out of surgery and doing well."

Danny let out air. "My idiocy knows no bounds."

"Agreed."

Danny looked up at Wainwright. "My first premeditated murder. What other lines am I going to cross?"

"You didn't pull the trigger."

"I did."

Steve sighed. "We have numerous competing confessions. This is going to be a hot mess."

"Oh my god! Is this what I think I am seeing?" Grover and Joe stepped onto the lanai and circled the corpse.

"What are you doing here?" Danny mumbled.

Grover looked at him. "I distinctly remember you saying that we needed to get here yesterday."

"Right."

"You got a story to go with this."

Danny sighed. "Yeah. I-"

"Shut up!" Joe's voice was sharp.

"Right. Don't talk without an attorney." Grover pulled out a cigar and started chewing on one end.

"We don't need attorneys," Joe said. He pulled his cell to his face and stepped out into the darkness.

Danny looked at Steve. "We going to let him do this?"

Steve nodded. "Damn straight we are."

Danny looked away.

Steve looked up. "Grover, you got a problem with this?"

Grover crouched down and puffed on his cigar. "I don't like it. Chin and Kono will have to know. They can't be spending any more time looking over their shoulders for something that isn't there."

Steve shrugged. "So, we keep it in family. I trust everyone."

"The Aunties know," Danny mumbled.

"What about 'em?" Grover said.

"Doesn't matter."

Grover stood. "Look at me, Danny. I just spent the last couple of weeks with your kids. Just 'cause I don't like what I see doesn't mean I don't see it needed to be done. You won't have any problems with me."

Joe stepped back into the light. "I got a crew coming in 30. Are we straight on all this 'cause I could use some help getting it all organized?"

"I'm your man," Grover boomed and followed Joe around the side of the house.

Steve waited until it was quiet. "I know what happened."

Danny stared straight ahead and said nothing.

"You didn't want me and Chin doing it. So, you set it up for you to finish him."

"I'm tired, Steve."

"You're not even on your feet. Yet, you bring him here with the idea to finish him. That's wild. I bet Kono didn't know that the endgame was him swinging from my lanai."

"Can we talk about this another time?"

"No, Danny. We can't. Tonight is the last time we will ever talk about this."

Danny threw up a hand. "So, what's your angle? I betrayed you…betrayed the team. Or what?"

"No angle. You just got impatient and went back to work. You ignored the fact that you can't get to the bathroom on your own, and went back to work. There were risks for us, and you couldn't live with that so you and the old lady gang spring a trap. Only it gets too real and you realize that you can't shoot him all trussed up like that. Luckily, the Aunties intervened."

"Is there a point to this conversation?" Danny asked.

"No." Steve stood and leaned over, lifting him gently under the arms. "Come on fella. I bet you could use a nice pain pill."

Danny groaned but didn't protest as Steve guided him in the house. "Two or three maybe."

Steve smiled. "The day you walked into my life was one of luckiest days of my life."

"Wish I could say the same."

"That's my boy."

Danny stopped him. "Steve, the Aunties are going to want to undress me for bed. They're always pulling my clothes off me like I'm seven. I don't like it. Don't let them do that to me anymore. Please."

Steve laughed. "I got ya', partner. Don't you worry about a thing."

….

Danny smiled into the sun as he lounged on the lanai. "I get to go home today. Last day at Chez McGarrett. Steve's picking me up any minute."

"More like McGarrett State Penitentiary," said Kono as she rested on her good side.

"Oh, it's not that bad," he said patting her hand.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Well, they like you. You're the sweet haole boy that Auntie Joon brought back to life."

"You just have to be nice to them."

"I am not drinking stinky lizard tea."

"That's what I said in the beginning."

"And then you grew to like it?" Kono asked warily.

"No. Auntie Joon would just drug me and make me drink it."

"That's a crime, Danny."

"Well, I got better so it doesn't matter."

"Take me with you."

"Can't. Adam is still in Halawa."

Kono groaned.

"What time is it?"

"Oh, for god's sakes, Danny. Tembam and Bujang are not going to hold hands today."

"Tembam's brother has left the café with his crew. What if today is the day that they stop the drug lord from feeding Bujang to the crocodile?"

"I hear you Danielle," came a singsong voice from the kitchen. "Today is the day. I have tape measure. Tembam and Bujang hold hand today."

Joon came out with Liang behind her. "I hate your stupid show, crazy woman. Nothing ever happen forever. Tembam is fat and ugly and Bujang no good thief."

"Every day you complain but you still watch, Liang. Make me wonder who crazy."

"Oh my god," Kono groaned. "Don't leave me to this, Danny."

"We have stinky lizard tea for you, sweet Asian sister," Joon said in an artificially sweet voice. "It will make you well and healthy for a husband."

"I'm not thirsty, and I already have a husband," Kono frowned.

Liang laughed. "She want you for no good Sang. She know he like you."

"I'm married!"

"Maybe not forever, sweet sister," Joon soothed.

"Danny!"

Danny helped Kono up. "Let's go in and watch."

"You can't leave me with them," she hissed at him.

"Hey. Auntie wanted me to get Sang a job in insurance. Is Sang in insurance? No. These ideas run their course."

"It okay sister," Joon said patting the seat next to her. "Danielle take all of Sang's crimes off the computer and make him squeak clean. Then he can be insurance man. He good for marriage to Asian sister cop. He handsome boy, you think?"

Kono turned to Danny. "So, uh, when are you going to be wiping the system of Sang's offenses?"

The front door opened and Steve came in. "Did I miss anything?"

Liang gestured. "Garrett, you sit next to me."

"Danielle, you clean computer of Sang crimes tomorrow, okay?"

Steve's eyes widened.

Danny grimaced. "Auntie, you know I can't do that."

She slapped her knees. "But you know this important to me. We make Sang into good citizen."

Steve gave Danny a look. "Yeah, but we have to follow the law."

Danny sat between Joon and Liang. "Sang has to find his own way. But he's doing a good job."

"Then Sang marry sweet Asian sister cop Kono," Joon said with finality.

Kono groaned. "I am married already."

"Yeah," said Steve. "Plus, remember how mean Kono was when you first met her."

Liang pointed. "This true."

Joon frowned for a moment and then the familiar sounds of Manjalara started. She brightened and grabbed Danny's arm. "Today is day, haole. I feel it."

Liang folded arms. "I only watch garbage because I am loyal friend."

Danny leaned forward, watching intently. "I think you're right, Auntie. Today is the day."

…..

The End


End file.
